Does anyone else suffer from the winter blues, or is that just me? Between the temperature, lack of sunshine, and the layers (upon layers upon layers), winter months do seem to go by slowly, even after Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow. But we've finally made it to March! March, the month whose name quite literally has forward ➡️momentum. Spring is in sight!
Speaking of moving forward, I want to share with you one thing that I'm excited about in our offices. We're updating our email signatures to include each person's pronouns. Why? Because including pronouns as a standard helps to normalize the discussion about gender and decrease misgendering in the workplace, and in general. Instead of saying, "I assume that you like to use certain terms to describe yourself," it says "Hey. This is an open space. I'm going to share the pronouns I use for myself so you feel safe to do the same." It's another signal to the world that all voices here have equitable power. And I don't know about you, but equal power for all 📢🌈Voices 📢🌈sounds really good to me.
We've also created a page with info on how to navigate your family building journey during this time. We'll continue to give you updates over the next few weeks, so bookmark it now!
What's New on the Internet? 👩💻👨💻
We're lucky to get to work with individuals and agencies every single day that are real leaders in their field. Sometimes, they even help us write articles! This month I was able to get even more insight into the surrogacy process, thanks to Worldwide Surrogacy. They answered questions like:
And for moms to be, they even answered one of our most-asked questions about at-home inseminations.
We also asked one of our in house resources to tackle the topic of donor conception, and how to explain your story to your future child. She reveals some tips and tools for future and current parents here.
Did you know that currently, Connecticut is the only state in New England without protections for parentage for a non-biological parent? That means that LGBTQ parents almost always have to complete a second-parent adoption to make sure that they can do things like:
Ensure legal protection for their child
Travel across state lines with their child
Make medical decisions and be recognized as a parent for insurance purposes
We don't think it's right, and a lot of parents, allies, and advocates agree with us. Last Friday, our team went to the state capitol to testify in support of a bill that would change this - the Connecticut Parentage Act. Do you remember Stef, our rockstar mom from this story? Her heartfelt testimony was just one of the amazing things that happened that day.
I'm proud to get the chance to connect with these people on a daily basis. Learn more about the CT Parentage Act and how to get involved here.
We're coming to a city near you! For dads-to-be 👨👨👦 , we've teamed up with Circle Surrogacy and Egg Donation agency to give you the inside scoop on all things surrogacy, from experts in the surrogacy space and real dads who've been through the process. For moms-to-be 👩👩👦, we're planning even more ways to get you the information you need - whether that's virtually or in person.
Interested? You're ahead of the curve! We've got a lot in the works, so check out our events page to stay informed.
Please let me know if you're not seeing events in your area (or your area of interest), and want to learn more about family building. Just respond to this email or click the button below! 👇 Who knows - maybe the next Gay Parents To Be event will be in yourcity! 🗺️
Can't lose! Except when you're not finding the family building information you need. Please reply directly to this email and let me know if you have questions, comments, or pro tips. I love to hear your feedback!👋
🌈Emma - Editor-In-Chief, Gay Parents To Be
She/her/hers
Gay Parents To Be, 21 E 52nd Street, New York, NY 10022, 203-956-2266
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