(CANCELLED) The Gender Studies Seminar Series presents: Lærke Munk Rigtrup-Lindemann

Queer and trans assisted reproduction in a Norwegian context – (re)producing ordinariness?

Lærke Munk Rigtrup-Lindemann, doctoral student in sociology from Nord University in Norway. Lærke Munk Rigtrup-Lindemann has an educational background in gender studies from the Department of Gender Studies here at Lund University.

This seminar is cancelled.

Abstract 

How do queer cis women and trans men think about conception? What can their experiences with donor conception and gametes preservation tell us about kinship and notions of belonging? How are assisted reproduction with donated gametes and “race” connected? And how are they related to kinship, belonging and nation? 

These questions are central in my current analytical work with my doctoral thesis, and they are framing this seminar which draws on findings and analytical reflections from the thesis. One of the findings in the study, so far, is that the experiences of queer cis women living in Norway who have reproduced with donor sperm to a large extent are confirming to homonormative ideas of family. 

In this presentation I will take a step further and focus on the interviewees’ experiences with “gametes matching” which refers to a medical practice that seeks to match genetic characteristics between intended parents and gametes donors in third-party reproduction. Experiences with “gametes matching”, donor conception more broadly and gametes preservations are at the center of the analysis. These point to notions of “race”, kinship and belonging both to the family and to the nation which I shall unfold. In Norway, the practice of “gametes matching” differs from the practices in other Nordic welfare states as it is not the intended parents who choose the gametes donor, but rather the clinical staff. This, together with the fact that trans men cannot legally access assisted reproductive technologies due to the gendered Biotechnology Act, makes it urgent to study queer and trans assisted reproduction from a biopolitical perspective. 

The Seminar Series

The Gender Studies Seminar Series invites researchers to share their insight on key issues for gendered and sexualized lives and knowledges, and to engage in critical discussions about the development of gender studies as an interdisciplinary and intersectional research field. Bringing together scholars from various research fields and theoretical traditions, this seminar series offers a platform for critical reflexions and new insights.

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