“Gays with Kids” Paves the Way for Gay, Bi, and Trans Dads-to-be
By: John Stein/Special to TRT—
The world’s largest community of gay, bi, and trans parents and prospective parents, has launched its Fatherhood Partner program, a new initiative for men seeking to embark on their journeys to fatherhood.
As part of the program, Gays with Kids has aligned with some of the world’s top gay-friendly IVF clinics and surrogacy agencies, as well as with key adoption/foster agencies at the forefront of LGBTQ+ family building. In addition to creating comprehensive instructional courses that outline each available option for creating a family, they are connecting prospective dads with the best LGBTQ+ affirming professionals who can help them fulfill their dreams based on their individual interests and budgets.
“Our unique history as the largest online community of queer dads and dads to be has allowed us to work closely with a handful of the most proven and experienced LGBTQ+ family builders,” said David Dodge, GWK’s Executive Editor. “Our new Fatherhood Partners Program provides members of our community with free access to these experts to get everything they’ll need—resources, guides, educational courses, and more—to achieve their dream of fatherhood, regardless of their path.”
In vetting its Fatherhood Partners, GWK considered each organization’s reputation among consumers and industry peers; as well as their longevity, track record and LGBTQ+ expertise as demonstrated through participation in Family Equality Open Door and/or HRC All Children-All Families.
Each partner associated with the new educational platform is delivering their expertise as part of GWK’s completely free of charge curriculum.
“We couldn’t be more excited to partner with GWK on this new educational series for gay, bi and trans men interested in fatherhood,” said Sam Hyde, President and CEO of Circle Surrogacy, one of the Fatherhood Partners. “This new platform is providing us with an unparalleled opportunity to connect queer men with the resources and education they need to build their families through IVF and surrogacy.”
And, education is also key to assist prospective dads with the complexity of the program.
“There are so many professionals to choose from, but for queer men, they are not all created equal,” said Molly Rampe Thomas, founder of Choice Network, a Fatherhood Partner focusing on adoption. “We are thrilled to be working with GWK to help educate prospective adoptive dads on how best to navigate the often-confusing adoption process, and connect them with LGBTQ+ affirming professionals.”
Additional surrogacy agencies in the Partners to Fatherhood program are Same Love Surrogacy, Simple Surrogacy and Worldwide Surrogacy. The IVF Clinics are California Fertility Partners, Fertility Centers of Illinois, Fertility Specialists of Texas and Reproductive Medicine Associates of Connecticut. The adoption agencies include Amara, Extraordinary Families, Friends in Adoption and Spence Chapin.
For more information on the Fatherhood Partner program, visit www.gayswithkids.com and @gayswithkids on all social platforms.