Sgle gay dads give tips for first-time parents: ‘I created the village around myself’

‘A FAY LIKE OURS’: PORTRAS OF GAY FATHERHOOD
THREE SGLE, GAY DADS REFLECT ON FATHERHOOD, SURROGACY JOURNEYS
MOVG PORTRAS OF GAY FATHERS WH THEIR FAI ACROSS AMERI
IS YOUR DAD GAY—OR ARE YOU A GAY DAD?
GAY MEN AND THEIR FATHERS: HURT AND HEALG
SGLE GAY DADS GIVE TIPS FOR FIRST-TIME PARENTS: ‘I CREATED THE VILLAGE AROUND MYSELF’

‘A FAY LIKE OURS’: PORTRAS OF GAY FATHERHOOD

For Father's Day, NPR spoke to three, gay sgle fathers who ma the choice to bee parents via surrogacy. * about gay dads *

Heynen planned to photograph for a book of photography featurg gay fathers and their children.

”Amerin culture has not been particularly starved of imag of gay fatherhood, particularly recent years.

Celebri like Anrson Cooper have helped normalize the ia of gay men raisg children, and no longer feels revelatory to see them on televisn, as did when “Morn Fay” premiered mon, Mr. Heynen said, are imag of gay fathers who aren’t Instagram ready — like two men bg their dghters’ hair or tossg a football the ont yard.

THREE SGLE, GAY DADS REFLECT ON FATHERHOOD, SURROGACY JOURNEYS

* about gay dads *

It’s an unrstandable impulse, which he attribut to a sire among gay parents to feel “normal” after havg their pabili as parents ntually lled to qutn. Heynen said, but rather a celebratn of the day-to-day liv of gay Jt for the YoungCly Rose, 61, and Ryan, 12Cly Rose, who liv Manhattan, was first photographed for “Dads” three years ago after meetg Mr. Heynen at an event at the Lbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgenr Communy Center New York Cy.

Heynen “a lot of cred” for cludg a father like him — a sgle dad his 60s — sce he said there is often a lack of reprentatn of olr gay people art and media, which tends to foc on young, f men. As a Black, gay man raisg a son on his own, Mr.

MOVG PORTRAS OF GAY FATHERS WH THEIR FAI ACROSS AMERI

Fathers and gay sons: A plited, vally important relatnship. * about gay dads *

NPR spoke to three men, sgle gay fathers, who chose to bee dads via surrogacy, after years of g to terms wh their inti, their fai, and the technologil advanc that have ma journeys like this possible.

IS YOUR DAD GAY—OR ARE YOU A GAY DAD?

"At that pot 1994, you didn't see many gays [on] the mp. So I realized I was gay, but I was like sred, nfed.

But the procs for sgle people, particularly relatively olr gay men, he says, was difficult. Black, gay and heavyset the South, he was raised by a sgle mother a fay of sgle mothers. DUSTIN LING "Sometim the gay muny is seen as, oh, 's the funny guy who's always about fashn or always about travel, " says Dt Lg.

GAY MEN AND THEIR FATHERS: HURT AND HEALG

"Fathers – gay fathers and mothers – e different and var forms, not jt that one-note inty. " Raised on the island natn of Aba to Asian parents, Lg says there weren't many exampl of gay men around.