Gay Families

Welcome to the new normal: gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people are becoming parents in record numbers. But the path to parenthood isn’t necessarily an easy one, and along the way you’ll be developing relationships without clear rules to guide you. You may be meeting surrogates, egg donors, social workers, IVF specialists, and birth families, and you’ll likely find yourself without a resource to help you find your way. Once the child is yours, you'll face new situations with babysitters, grandparents, pre-schools, neighbors, and school teachers. That’s what this section is for: Gay Families will help provide you with real-life solutions.

Certainly, gay parenting has become far more common than it used to be, with millions of kids in North America having at least one gay parent. Still, the mere idea of LGBT people having kids can sometimes provoke resistance from family, friends, neighbors, and society at large. Gay male and trans parents in particular often face scorn, whether seeking parenthood alone or as part of a couple. And even the lesbian baby boom of recent years has yet to reach most rural areas. No surprise, then, that LGBT pregnancy, surrogacy, and adoption call for a particular kind of etiquette. How do you introduce your surrogate to friends? How do you deal with nosy questions like "Who's the father?" And how do you write an effective "Dear Birth Mother" letter? With a little forethought, you'll find your way—and leave a path for those who will follow in time. The truth is that the deliberateness usually required for LGBT parenthood has its advantages: You really have to want a child—there are very few accidental pregnancies or babies in the LGBT world.

“Guys, everything is okay, really.”

All About Gay Families

"Is it unethical of my cousin not to tell an adoption agency that she's a lesbian?"

My lesbian cousin is adopting a little girl from Russia without telling the agency that she’s gay. Is that unethical?

As you may or may not know, the fact that your cousin is a lesbian prohibits her from adopting from many countries overseas. In my book, that’s unethical. The good news is that most countries (including Russia) don’t question a prospective parent’s sexual orientation when it comes to adopting, which means as long as your cousin provided all the required information and did not file any false documents, there is no ethical issue.

About the Book

Gay Manners Confused about coming out, dating, sex, and love? Find all the answers here - makes a great reference guide for you, and a great gift for the straight people in your life who need a little guidance.

Subscribe to Queeries

Subscribe to Queeries, our free monthly newsletter!

Gay Families

All About Gay Families

"Is it unethical of my cousin not to tell an adoption agency that she's a lesbian?"

About the Book

Subscribe to Queeries

Most Popular Queeries