‘That’s Life’: Actualizing the Non-Lieu as an Empty Space

Abstract

In 2008, when I wrote the essay that follows, I was just embarking on the process of becoming a first-time parent: a supposedly natural rite de passage rendered, in my case, a bit more challenging because of my identity as a gay man who resides in a country where adoption is tacitly denied if you are gay and single, and explicitly denied by law if you are gay and have entered into a registered partnership. In my country of residence, surrogacy — the option my partner and I chose to pursue in 2008 — is illegal, indiscriminately and across the board: gay or straight; registered, married, or single.