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

Contents:

• ‘A FAY LIKE OURS’: PORTRAS OF GAY FATHERHOOD
• DAD AND DAD: A JOURNEY TO GAY FATHERHOOD – PICTUR
• GAY FATHER AND SON STOCK PHOTOS AND IMAG
• PARENTS OF GAY CHILDREN AND THE ISSU THEY FACE
• THREE SGLE, GAY DADS REFLECT ON FATHERHOOD, SURROGACY JOURNEYS
• HOW I ACCINTALLY FOUND OUT MY DAD IS GAY
• GAY FATHERS FACE STIGMA AS PARENTS
• THE GAY MEN BEME ‘FATHER AND SON.’ NOW THEY WANT TO GET MARRIED BUT N’T.
• TOUCHG VIO SHOWS SON E OUT AS GAY TO MORMON DAD

‘A FAY LIKE OURS’: PORTRAS OF GAY FATHERHOOD

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. 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.

DAD AND DAD: A JOURNEY TO GAY FATHERHOOD – PICTUR

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 “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.

GAY FATHER AND SON STOCK PHOTOS AND IMAG

Clton, MarylandThey are the first both their fai to bee gay fathers, and received a warm wele to parenthood. Asbury Park, New JerseyThe most stunng takeaway om photographg gay dads is the equaly of their partnership while raisg their children. Brooklyn, New YorkWhile makg Dads I was surprised to fd out how many gay sgle dads there are creatg their fay through adoptn or surrogacy.

Province, Rho IslandArt and Jim were one of the first gay upl to bee fathers through adoptn. Tom and Mike wh their son Jack at a lacrosse practice at Horace Mann School, Bronx, New YorkThroughout the book the children of gay dads grow olr.

PARENTS OF GAY CHILDREN AND THE ISSU THEY FACE

Although the school and Jack’s iends know that Jack has two gay dads there was some tensn the air while posg for this photo the middle of a sports field wh all the other players around. Such a photograph would have been extraordarily rare jt s ago, but now is one of many published the book “Dads,” a four-year visual archive of gay fatherhood across Ameri that began 2016. “I felt a ltle b lonely as a gay dad – although there are two of – but lonely the sense that all the other fai I knew were straight parents,” Heynen said a vio ll, explag why he began photographg the seri.

For Heynen, they reprent addnal love and re and help illtrate some of the cisn-makg that, though not exclive to them, all gay fathers mt ntend wh. “Most of the women are Mormon, and Mormons don’t believe gay marriage and gays havg kids.”.

Heynen, as well as the fathers he photographed, hope that the photographs “Dads” will dispel some of the hurtful stereotyp that still lger around gay fatherhood.

THREE SGLE, GAY DADS REFLECT ON FATHERHOOD, SURROGACY JOURNEYS

Abplanalp never knew when he was younger that fatherhood would be possible for him as gay man.

Hosted by Wt Hollywood uple Yan and Alex, the dads e each episo to chat parentg and relatnships, and lately have been focg each episo on the gay rights and fatherhood pathways by untry, and vg a gay father om each lotn on as a gut.

This YA g-of-age novel follows high schooler Sal, who was adopted to a lovg Mexin Amerin fay by his gay father, when he begs to qutn his inty and place the world durg his senr year.

HOW I ACCINTALLY FOUND OUT MY DAD IS GAY

This one-hour documentary followed the fay liv of four gay fai and the legal and cultural hurdl the men faced to bee fathers. The director and producer is Johnny Symons, himself a gay father of an adopted son wh his partner the Bay Area.

Savage beme an ternatnally regnized sex lumnist and activist the 1990s and ’00s for his ank cultural sight to gay relatnships and inty. Celebry gay fathers, whether they're actors, activists, micians, or policians, are showg the world that love is what mak a fay.

GAY FATHERS FACE STIGMA AS PARENTS

Below, learn about high-profile gay dads such as Anrson Cooper, Denis O'Hare, Matt Bomer, Karamo Brown, Ricky Mart, and many more. Wong -parents Jackson, who me out as gay as a teen, wh his ex-partner Richie Jackson, and Jackson's hband Jordan Roth. Stt Takacs, a 46-year-old and father of three, penned a personal say about his experience g out as a gay man to his sons.

There wasn't much of a plan, no guibook hand, only goals that I hoped my boys would start the procs of unrstandg and acceptg their dad for whom I tly was: a gay Stt TakacsIt had been a long 15 months sce g out to my wife, an experience I unfortunately wouldn't scribe as posive, fun or somethg I ever want to repeat. Wh many emotns and strs, I accepted her requt to keep the reason for our divorce -- due to me beg gay -- a secret for at least another year. Chigo offered the stabily I need a job, iendship and at this pot, a new relatnship that all ntributed to my healg this new gay world.

THE GAY MEN BEME ‘FATHER AND SON.’ NOW THEY WANT TO GET MARRIED BUT N’T.

Gay marriage was the news, but not discsed our hoe other than the ocsnal negative ment om a close relative.

TOUCHG VIO SHOWS SON E OUT AS GAY TO MORMON DAD

In many ways, a lovg place for them, but I me to realize that teachers spoke openly agast gay culture and textbooks labeled homosexualy as sful and evil. My kids listened and followed their prr to g out, was hard for me to hear my kids e home wh stori of teachers gradg gay marriage or gay people, to see their workbooks, rercg the bias agast beg gay. The last thg I wanted was for my kids to be treated differently bee they had a gay dad, which I felt was a the year followg my divorce, I agreed not to tell the kids I was gay, so I had to be reful.

We were reful to avoid referenc to "gay" discsns and plac, although I lived the Gayborhood of Chigo, an upsle, predomantly gay area on Chigo's North Si. Eventually, though, that started to four years, my olst son's iends knew he had a gay dad, and, to put teenage terms, wasn't so bad.

I thk he unrstands beg gay isn't a choice anymore, and I believe that will ex-wife certaly bore the bnt of the day-to-day wh the kids. I helped start a group for gay fathers Chigo and has shown me that there are other gay fathers ahead of me their g-out journey wh posive experienc to share.