Why two men went from New York to India and back to become parents
Brian and I yearned to have a child of our own for years. We explored our options via surrogacy both nationally and internationally. Here in the United States we were deep into the process of surrogacy. It was extremely costly, time consuming, and emotionally taxing. Our attempt at conceiving through different surrogates failed six times. Our funds were dry.
We Are The Face of Equality: a project created for and by LGBT families
A few weeks ago we were introduced to a really cool project called We Are the Face of Equality. The video-based project was started by Stephanie, a twenty-five-year-old lesbian in Indiana. Her goal is to collect videos and photos of LGBT people around the world and compile them into one slideshow and/or book. I asked her a few questions about the project, so get ready to read those and find out how you can participate.
Because few things are better than two dads in matching shirts holding matching babies
Alan and Brian have been married for years and have always dreamed of starting a family. They took matters into their own hands and found a surrogate in India. They were more than pleasantly surprised when they learned that she was pregnant with twins. The pair has recently returned to New York City from India with their son and daughter in tow — and now the family is complete.
Two mamas + one baby = three family members happy in the park
Lindsay is a regular contributor ’round these parts, and I was stoked when she sent over the family photos she and her wife recently had made by Angie Tabaczynski of Portland-based Kate Kelly Photography.
Why sperm donors deserve recognition and honor
It is time to change the conversation around the term “sperm donor.” “Donor” does not equate “deadbeat dad.” A donor, whether a dear friend or a random person who grabs a magazine, a cup and heads for a small room at a sperm bank, is a wonderful person. He is the person who gives us our families, and no matter who he is, gay and lesbian families are grateful.
“Which restroom should I use?” Challenges facing transgender children in public schools
The absurdity of it never fails to strike me — my child can’t attend public school because he has no place to pee? The intent behind forcing a seven-year-old boy into the girl’s restroom can only be to shame, and this shaming carries with it a violent hatred that has broken bones, taken lives.
The journey of trying to conceive with my wife has changed the way I identify as a mom
Even though Carly and I knew we would want to have children together, we never had serious how-to discussions until last summer. I had a dream that I was carrying Carly’s baby, and I wanted it so badly that I was crying about it as I shared my dream with her. This sparked our baby planning. Ideally, we would choose in vitro fertilization (IVF), pick a sperm donor, have Carly’s egg fertilized, and I would carry her baby.
So you just found out your teen is gay? Rule one: don’t freak out
My parents “discovered” that I might be gay when I was 14. I left a Yahoo! chat conversation with my first mutual crush open, and my mother (being the vigilant snoop that she is) happened upon it. Now, don’t get me wrong — I absolutely think monitoring your children’s online activities is an ok thing to do. However, based on my own experience with my parents, I recommend calmly discussing any “questionable” behavior instead of attacking your child when he or she is expressing their inherent sexuality.