Alternative Families are families too!

Are you a single gay man, bisexual, or lesbian, or are you in a long-term gay relationship and dreaming of having children?

At Advocates for Surrogacy, our goal is to help anyone who has the desire and ability to become a loving parent. Adoption and/or surrogacy can be options for same-sex couples or individuals who want to become gay parents; many lesbians and gays choose adoption or surrogacy as a means to fulfilling their dreams of having children, and we are very open to helping make this a reality for other families.

We at Advocates for Surrogacy know that children can grow and develop just as happily and healthily with GLB parents as they can in families that have heterosexual parents.

In fact:

• There are already thousands of children living in gay couple households. The 2000 U.S. Census reports 33% of female same-sex couple households and 22% of male same-sex couple households already have at least one child under the age of 18 living at home.
• According to the American Psychological Association Policy Statement on exual Orientation, Parents, & Children, "there is no reliable evidence that homosexual orientation per se impairs psychological functioning. Second, beliefs that lesbian and gay adults are not fit parents have no empirical foundation."
• The American Psychological Association also states "Research suggests that sexual identities (including gender identity, gender-role behavior, and sexual orientation) develop in much the same ways among children of lesbian mothers as they do among children of heterosexual parents."
• There is no conclusive evidence that homosexuality is linked to one's environment. In other words, growing up in a gay couple household will not "make" a child gay.

Many lesbians and gay men are already raising children, and many more GLB people would like to have children at some point. Latest statistics from the U.S. Census 2000, the National Survey of Family Growth (2002), and the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (2004) include:

• An estimated two million GLB people are interested in adopting.
• An estimated 65,500 adopted children are living with a lesbian or gay parent.
• More than 16,000 adopted children are living with lesbian and gay parents in California, the highest number among the states.
• Gay and lesbian parents are raising four percent of all adopted children in the United States.
• Gay and lesbian parents are raising three percent of foster children in the United States.
• Between 8 and 10 million children are being raised in a gay and lesbian households.
• Same-sex couples raising adopted children are older, more educated, and have more economic resources than other adoptive parents.

There are several options that parents who wish to create alternative families may be able to pursue, and we at Advocates for Surrogacy are open to helping everyone explore their options and their state laws in order to make their dreams of a loving family come true. Contact Us by email or call us at 305-358-2450.