Abstract
M.A.
Despite the fact that same-sex marriage was legalised in South Africa in 2006, predominant
societal attitudes towards gay couples remain negative. In the face of this opposition, samesex
couples who choose to marry are often in need of support, but may find that support
lacking because of the stigma associated with being gay. This study sought to explore what
happens with family support in particular when a gay couple chooses to marry legally. Using
a narrative qualitative method, informed and influenced by phenomenological research and
grounded theory, the researcher sought to explore and describe the experience of three female
same-sex couples and the impact their legal marriage had on family support. One in-depth
unstructured interview was conducted with each couple. Data were collected and analysed
concurrently to identify story plot and themes related to family support, and how that support
changed over time. Although no specific trends related to changes in family support emerged,
the study revealed that 1) same-sex marriage was a form of ‘coming out,’ 2) couples did
desire family support throughout the process of getting married, 3) couples desired support
particularly in the form of validation of their identity and engagement/involvement in the
preparations for getting married, and 4) for many families, offering support was a process that
involved assimilating the idea of gay marriage. In addition, emerging theory seemed to
suggest that moments of crisis and family rituals have the potential for increasing the level of
family support offered to married gay couples, and that having the opportunity to tell their
stories and hear the stories of other married gay couples was significant to the couples
involved in the study. Implications for social work practice related to these theories were also
identified. Finally, it is hoped that the rich and detailed description shared by the couples in
this study added critical depth to an area of research (same-sex marriage) that is generally
neglected.