18 Connection and Love Questions
Joyce Baptist and Elizabeth B. Pearce
As you read this chapter, consider the following questions:
- Think about a time when you felt deeply connected to a community. What made that connection meaningful, and how did it shape your sense of identity or belonging? Which theory helps you best understand the importance of community in your life?
- Reflect on your understanding of kinship and family. In what ways have these concepts overlapped or diverged in your own experience? How do cultural, social, or personal factors influence how you define each?
- Union formation—whether romantic, legal, or social—is shaped by many factors. Which ones (e.g., emotional, economic, cultural, legal) have influenced your own relationships most deeply, and how?
- Consider the role of government in shaping relationships. How have policies or laws around marriage, partnership, or separation affected people you know—or your own experiences? What does this reveal about the intersection of private life and public policy?
- How does societal stigma—around race, gender, sexuality, or class—impact the way unions are formed, recognized, or valued? Have you witnessed or experienced this influence personally?
- What equity issues arise in partnerships and marriages, especially regarding access to rights, recognition, and resources? How do these issues show up in your community or in your own life?
- Imagine you had the power to rewrite laws and regulations around taxes, benefits, and legal recognition of unions and kinship groups. What values would guide your decisions, and what changes would you make to promote fairness and inclusion?
