Three sgle, gay dads talk about their journeys. : NPR

Contents:

• THREE SGLE, GAY DADS REFLECT ON FATHERHOOD, SURROGACY JOURNEYS
• SGLE GAY DADS GIVE TIPS FOR FIRST-TIME PARENTS: ‘I CREATED THE VILLAGE AROUND MYSELF’
• PATHS TO PARENTHOOD FOR SGLE & GAY DADS: AN INTRODUCTN
• ONE MAN'S BETIFUL JOURNEY TO FATHERHOOD AS A SGLE GAY MAN
• SGLE GAY DAD WHO ADOPTED 5 DISABLED KIDS, ADOPTS ANOTHER CHILD
• AFTER YEARS OF WAG, SGLE GAY DAD ADOPTS BOY ABANDONED AT 2 WEEKS OLD — AND THEY COULDN’T BE HAPPIER NOW
• JOURNEY TO JOSIAH FATHERHOOD: SGLE GAY MAN ADOPTS AND DISVERS THE LOVE OF BEG DAD
• Q&A: ADOPTN FOR THE SGLE GAY MAN
• GAY ADOPTN
• HOE CALL: KEV GERS EXPLAS HIS EXPERIENCE FOSTERG-TO-ADOPT AS A GAY MAN
• GAY DAD ADOPTN

THREE SGLE, GAY DADS REFLECT ON FATHERHOOD, SURROGACY JOURNEYS

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.

SGLE GAY DADS GIVE TIPS FOR FIRST-TIME PARENTS: ‘I CREATED THE VILLAGE AROUND MYSELF’

"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.

PATHS TO PARENTHOOD FOR SGLE & GAY DADS: AN INTRODUCTN

"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.

Dpe the challeng of life as a sgle gay dad New York, Lg remas an optimist.

ONE MAN'S BETIFUL JOURNEY TO FATHERHOOD AS A SGLE GAY MAN

In fact, gay sgle dads are part of a growg movement that has seen a signifint surge of tert the last few years, as noted by the New York get a more plete picture of the joys of fatherhood, Yahoo Life spoke to four sgle gay dads who prove that love is what tly mak a fay. (urty photo)When Puerto Rin TikTok star José Rolón me out at 18 years old, there were few public exampl of gay fathers. “But after everythg is said and done, adoptn for gay men is still really difficult.

”Fzpatrick, whose father, a gay Black man, was killed senselsly by gun vlence the parkg lot of a gay bar when Fzpatrick was 18, says that fatherhood gave him unique opportuni to turn his paful past to purpose through the love of his dghter. “I thk that gay parents make the bt parents the world, ” he says. “A lot of gay men, as they get olr, bee lonely.

One night, Hilton, a sgle gay dad who's weled three children via surrogate, opened up to Evans about the joys of fatherhood and his own journey. ”“I was gog through that empts of growg olr as a gay man and not havg a signifint other and not havg the life I once lived, and not unrstandg where I was gog, ” he ntu.

SGLE GAY DAD WHO ADOPTED 5 DISABLED KIDS, ADOPTS ANOTHER CHILD

“I know all the gay dads who do too.

”Hunter, a succsful divorce attorney wh his own private practice Los Angel, says he was badly bullied as a teenager for beg gay. Law Office of Brian EsserWhat you'll learnIntroducg the major cisns a gay uple or sgle man may face orr to bee fathers. We also provi an overview of adoptn & foster re for gay and sgle dads.

AFTER YEARS OF WAG, SGLE GAY DAD ADOPTS BOY ABANDONED AT 2 WEEKS OLD — AND THEY COULDN’T BE HAPPIER NOW

"It was dntg, " says the 42-year-old former opera sger om Edgemere, Maryland, who, as a sgle gay man, did not match the agency's ual clientele. "One gay uple told me they didn't know was legal.

JOURNEY TO JOSIAH FATHERHOOD: SGLE GAY MAN ADOPTS AND DISVERS THE LOVE OF BEG DAD

As the months turned to over a year wa for his son, Marshall grew ncerned that a baby would not be placed wh him bee he was gay. Growg up gay Oh, Terry Snyr was surround by “Leave It To Beaver” -type fai, yet he never once doubted that someday he too would be a dad.

Q&A: ADOPTN FOR THE SGLE GAY MAN

"Lookg back on my life, " he ntued, growg up gay, uld be tough. He also beme one of the youngt gay men the untry to adopt a child. Needls to say, his journey hasn't been easy and he still hears a lot of different opns about beg a sgle gay dad.

"I often get passg ments like ‘’s not right’ and ‘bee you are gay then all of the children will be gay then won’t they, ’ other ments I get are he mt be dog for money? I., and a sgle gay dad to 10-year-old Miguel through foster-to-adopt. The anizatn got back to him and said Miguel was probably gog to be adopted by another gay uple, and that may be a while before he would hear back om them aga.

For other sgle gay men who are thkg about fosterg-to-adopt, Daniel said ’s fely somethg that is possible, and there are many children who need a lovg fay.

GAY ADOPTN

To help fd your path to fatherhood through gay adoptn, surrogacy or foster re check out the GWK Amy. As a sgle gay man, there were many hurdl he had to overe, but was worth when he met a ltle boy who changed his life forever.

As a sgle black gay man – Marshall may still have problems adoptg some stat.

Sgle, gay, Black men started steppg forward to brg children to their liv through adoptn.

HOE CALL: KEV GERS EXPLAS HIS EXPERIENCE FOSTERG-TO-ADOPT AS A GAY MAN

“They saw past a sgle gay man and thought that I was worthy of parentg them, ” said Marshall, 42, as he approached the adoptn procs of the betiful boy who is now his son, Josiah Marshall.

Is bee I’m gay?

GAY DAD ADOPTN

Most agenci, some more reluctant than others, accept sgle, gay and lbian, and disabled parent applints.