# ‘Are We Gonna Have to Pretend to Be a Straight Couple?’: Examining the Specific Detriment that Cisgenderism Places on Non-Binary Adoption and Fostering Applicants in the United Kingdom

## TL;DR

This study explores how non-binary people in the UK face specific challenges and prejudice when trying to adopt or foster children.

## Contribution

The study introduces a new focus on cisgenderism's impact on non-binary individuals within adoption and fostering systems.

## Key findings

- Non-binary individuals face barriers in the adoption and fostering system due to cisgenderism.
- Prejudice exists in how non-binary applicants are matched with children.
- Intersectional disadvantage compounds the challenges non-binary people experience.

## Abstract

This exploratory qualitative study aimed to find out more about how the children’s social work system interacts with non-binary parents. It highlights the specific detriment that can be faced by non-binary people hoping to adopt or foster in the United Kingdom. Three key themes emerged: (1) Barriers for non-binary carers, (2) Prejudice in adoption and fostering matching processes and (3) Intersectional disadvantage. The study found that non-binary people experience specific detriment when endeavouring to start or grow their families, examining how cisgenderism operates to privilege some identities over others. Multiple barriers affect the way non-binary people try and navigate how their family lives in a society that is organised around binary gender identities. Cisgenderism can subtly and pervasively exert a devaluing of identities that sit outside of entrenched binary gender norms, influencing how people can understand and express their gender identities within society.