My husband Adam and I got married in 2017, and we had always talked about starting a family of our own. Being a cheerleading director, I always wanted a little girl, while Adam wanted a little baby boy. We decided the only way this could ever happen would be to either adopt two babies, or go through a surrogacy journey and try for twins. We started looking into clinics and found RMA of Connecticut and their Gay Parents To Be program. We met with Dr. Leondires, or “Dr. L” as we came to know him, and we trusted everything he told us.

So, you’ve decided that being a parent is in your future - congratulations! This is a major life-decision, and personally, as a parent of two young children, I can say whole-heartedly that being a parent is the most rewarding and hardest job you’ll ever have.

I’ve heard more than a few analogies for the surrogacy process since I started working with Gay Parents To Be. Family building through IVF and surrogacy - the path that many dads chose to complete their family - has been equated to a journey, a logistics equation, and a puzzle made of many pieces. To be sure, given that most surrogacy journeys for dads include:

Starting a family isn’t always easy, especially if you’re a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Whether you’re going this journey alone or hope to add a child with your same-sex partner, the road to achieving a family can be both daunting and confusing. First, you need to decide whether you’d like to adopt or build a biological (i.e. genetically linked) family.

Gratitude is not just an attitude, it’s a choice – a choice about where to focus our attention. It doesn’t mean ignoring the injustices and misery in the world, for gratitude isn’t emotional or mental amnesia. What gratitude offers is the time to shift our attention to what is surviving, thriving and staying healthy – something that feels especially important this year.

Navigating Surrogacy Through 2020 The path to parenthood for LGBTQ individuals and couples can have some unexpected twists and turns, and 2020 has thrown its own fair share of curveballs - many of which have impacted the surrogacy process for prospective parents. But for dad-to-be duo Bret and Stephen, they’re making this path their own, and we’re so excited to be following along with them as they vlog along the way. Let’s take a look at a real family building timeline, and see how the Broadway Husbands are navigating family building through 2020 - curveballs and all.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and during this month, there’s an associated outpouring of support for cisgender, heterosexual women – much of which focuses on encouraging people to get a breast exam with their doctor. If their doctor finds anything worrisome during this exam, they will recommend a mammogram, which is an ex-ray of the chest that can detect abnormalities that are too small to be found during a regular breast exam. The American Cancer Society’s statistics highlight the important of these screenings: They predict that over 275,000 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in 2020 and report that the mortality rate for breast cancer is 1 in 38. Breast Cancer Awareness month’s mission supports and encourages life-saving screenings.

In recognition of LGBTQ+ History month, it is important to acknowledge the historical milestones made and what they mean for LGBTQ+ parents. While we are lucky enough to live in a country where there has been much progress made with respect to the rights of LGBTQ+ parents over the past 70 years, there is still much to be accomplished. For LGBTQ+ families, the future is bright – but to better understand it, we must dive into the past.

2020 has been, in many ways, a train wreck -- but somehow, our National Coming Out Day came just the same. We celebrate its 32nd anniversary today, October 11th, 2020. This date is an acknowledgement of the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay rights and reminds us that coming out can be a tool of power – although sometimes it feels like a burden. We still live in a society where these conversations are often necessary.

The Human Rights Campaign is the largest and most powerful LGBTQIA+ organization in the U.S. Their membership of fifty two million spans all states, in fact, all zip codes. Their dedication, since 1980, has been consistent and forward-thinking, and they provide reliable resources for LGBTQ individuals, communities, and families alike.

September 30th is National Podcast Day, and in preparation we rounded up the best podcasts on gay family and fertility.

Recently, the Family Equality Council (FEC) published a comprehensive research study designed to help us better understand the landscape of family-building for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) adults in America today. The report included some inspiring statistics – all of which point to the fact that the number of LGBTQ families in the United States is set to grow dramatically in the coming years. In fact, the report states 77% of LGBTQ millennials (ages 18-35) are already parents or are considering having children – a 44% increase over previous generations. This is significant.