One day while updating one of Triangle Community Center’s (TCC) social media pages I was prompted to answer a question. The question read “Triangle Community Center is in the business of . . . . “ I paused for a moment, racing through my mind, thinking of all the different programs TCC now has. (Support groups, youth groups, older adult programming, case management, financial assistance, health and wellness, and social events just to name a few.) How could I possibly summarize all of that into a succinct answer that would complete this sentence? At that same moment, I had a realization, which led me to type in just two words, “building community”. While more and more LGBTQ families flock to Fairfield County from New York City to lay down roots and raise their children in a “nice suburban community”, some may experience a lack thereof. We have all heard the adage that is “take a village” to raise a child and at TCC we know it takes a cohesive, connected and engaged LGBTQ community for our families in the area to feel supported. That is what TCC is working on building. TCC is actively engaged in the process of molding our LGBTQ communities into a single, more informed, engaged and supportive LGBTQ community.

Dr. Mark Leondires, Gay Parents To Be’s Medical Director and partner at Reproductive Medicine Associates of Connecticut (RMACT), will be speaking at an event in Washington, DC on May 10th. Dr. Leondires is speaking on behalf of EMD Serono, Inc., a leader in the US biopharmaceutical arena and fertility health.

We are thrilled to be participating as a Palladium Sponsor of the LGBT Family Building Expo of NYC’s LGBT Community Center. The Expo, being held Saturday, May 7, is a one of-a-kind event that brings together hundreds of community members who are starting on their dreams of becoming a parent. The day connects community members with competent providers focused on foster care, adoption, surrogacy, or alternative insemination and features a range of workshops addressing every aspect of the path to parenthood from the medical to the legal and financial.

When talking about fertility, pregnancy and having babies; everything in my mind right away goes to pink or blue. Doesn’t yours? When we hear that a friend is pregnant the first question most people ask is, “Do you know if it's a boy or girl?”.

As a board certified Reproductive Endocrinologist (fertility specialist) at Reproductive Medicine Associates of Connecticut, (RMACT), and a physician on the Gay Parents to Be team, I know that many gay couples who, after deciding to have children, come to Gay Parents To Be at RMA of Connecticut with the desire to not only achieve a pregnancy, but also a desire for twins.

LGBT parents and parents-to-be know a lot about LGBT families. But there are still some surprises.

Starting The Surrogacy Process Congratulations! You’ve thought for a long time about forming a family. Now you’ve decided to explore surrogacy. The emotional investment is important to consider. So, of course, are the finances.

I’m a member of a Facebook group focusing on parenting by gay, bisexual and trans men. Diversity is one of the group’s greatest strengths, and on any given day you’ll find posts from dads who adopted (domestically, internationally and through foster care), are parenting children from former heterosexual relationships, are co-parenting, or have built their family through surrogacy.

The Gay Parents To Be team is on the road again – this time in southern Florida! There are two options to learn more about your family building options: complimentary consults all day Thursday, March 10th or a happy hour at the Boatyard Restaurant at 6:00 PM Thursday, March 10th. You can register for one, or both! RSVP is required, sign up here!

The New Year is in full swing and it’s safe to say that by this point two things are clear to LGBTQ parents: First, getting your kids up and ready for school is not easy when it’s still dark at wake up time. And if you live in the Northeast like us, add snow boots and long johns to the mix!

After partnering with the National LGBTQ Task Force in NYC for a successful Family Building event to kick-off the year (over 80 folks came out to join us early January), I looked forward to attending their Creating Change Conference in Chicago.

For gay men and lesbians starting out on a family building journey, many questions arise. As your family building center, we are here to help provide answers and solutions, including what you can expect at your first gay family building consultation.