“We Need a Father and a Mother!” Rationalities around Filiation in the State: The Invisibility of LGBTIQ+ Families

Abstract

Objective: This article has two objectives. The first is to describe the procedures, characteristics, and, above all, the rationalities present in three Chilean State institutions in matters of filiation. The second is to analyze how these rationalities impact families that are not represented in public policies, such as LGBTIQ+ families. Method: A documentary analysis was used. The analysis focused on official documents, freely accessible, from three public institutions, understood as local centers of experience. Specifically: (a) the Assisted Reproduction Program of the National Health Fund (FONASA); (b) the State Adoption Office “Mejor Niñez” [Better Childhood]; and (c) the Civil Registry. For the above, approaches to governmentality and post-structuralist analysis of public policies within a documentary analysis methodology were considered to be theoretical–conceptual supports. Results and analysis: The findings reveal a general lack of mention of LGBTIQ+ families and a heteronormative structure in the process of designing official documents from the State. This may exclude these families from public policies. Conclusions: It is concluded that a broader and more diverse understanding of the problems that the State should seek to represent would contribute to a greater representation of diversity in public policies.