Queering public policy

Many have raised concerns about how welfare and labor rights are deeply heteronormative. For example, the mainstream idea of a family is that of a mother, a father, and a child/children. Taking leave to care for a member of your immediate family is both a norm and a statutory right. However, the situation becomes much more complicated when one wishes to provide care work for someone — or something — that does not belong to the category of an immediate family member. For example, there is no statutory protection of the right to take leave for a pet or member of a chosen family. Your ability to care for others entirely rests on the discretion of your management. You cannot not seek legal help in case your request for leave is rejected.