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Primary Submission Category: Public Health Communication and Trust
Reimagining Health Communication: Supporting Alternative Family Structures Through a Queer Lens
Authors: Amy DiCaprio,
Presenting Author: Amy DiCaprio*
Modern households are diverse, yet multi-generational households, co-parenting networks, chosen families, and LGBTQ+ households are often overlooked in public health messaging. When communications fail to reflect these realities, communities become disengaged, trust erodes, and health outcomes suffer.
This session explores how a queer-informed, family-centered approach can create inclusive communications that strengthen engagement and support across diverse households, even within a political climate that restricts explicit DEI language and limits discussion of identity, inequity, and social determinants of health.
Attendees will gain practical tools to:
- Identify assumptions about family structures and queer experiences in public health messaging.
- Adapt communications for multi-generational, co-parenting, chosen, and LGBTQ+ households.
- Engage communities as active partners in health initiatives through queer-informed, participatory approaches.
- Strategically frame inclusive messaging to advance equity without triggering political or funding backlash.
- Evaluate and refine strategies to ensure effectiveness in reaching non-traditional families.
- Communicate structural influences on health—housing, economic stability, and social connection—without using restricted terminology.
Participants will leave with actionable strategies to design engaging, community-driven communications that center diverse families, build trust through lived experience and narrative framing, and navigate current political constraints. This session equips public health professionals to reimagine communication practices that are inclusive, effective, and politically mindful—helping all families feel seen, supported, and empowered.