6 Organizations Supporting LGBTQ+ Family Building

Building a family as an LGBTQ+ parent involves navigating a myriad of paths and making significant decisions, such as finding the best sperm donor source or selecting a suitable surrogate. To aid in these complex journeys, several organizations—ranging from large-scale operations to grassroots networks—offer indispensable information and resources. Here is a list of groups dedicated to supporting LGBTQ+ families and prospective parents.

Men Having Babies

Men Having Babies is an international nonprofit that began as a peer support network for biological gay fathers and fathers-to-be. Originating at the NYC LGBT Center, it now extends its reach globally, offering workshops and seminars in cities such as Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami, Dallas, Atlanta, Tel Aviv, Taipei, Berlin, and Brussels.

This organization provides both online and in-person seminars and runs several programs aimed at education, advocacy, and affordability. One notable initiative is the Gay Parenting Financial Assistance Fund, which offers grants, discounts, and free services to assist gay men on their path to parenthood. Men Having Babies also features the Surrogacy Advisor directory, a resource offering reviews and ratings of surrogacy agencies and clinics, and maintains a community forum on Facebook for gay surrogacy dads, surrogates, and egg donors to share their experiences.

The organization emphasizes promoting ethical surrogacy practices, striving to minimize risks and maximize benefits for both surrogates and parents.

Family Equality

Family Equality works to achieve legal and lived equality for LGBTQ+ families and those aspiring to form them. The group offers a wide array of resources, including its Path2Parenthood program.

This program provides glossaries of terms helpful for prospective parents exploring adoption or biological family building. Family Equality’s attorneys, in collaboration with in-state partners, have developed State LGBTQ Family Law Guides, which outline family law for LGBTQ+ parents in each state. These guides are accessible in their comprehensive Resource Library. Additionally, the organization provides an extensive list of LGBTQ+ Family Building grants to support prospective parents.

PregnantTogether

Founded by Marea Goodman, a queer midwife and parent, PregnantTogether is a virtual community that stems from her book, "Baby Making for Everybody—Fertility and Family Building for LGBTQ+ and Solo Parents." This platform offers a midwife journal with firsthand accounts of the childbirth experience and includes a list of workshops and services for every stage of pregnancy, from fertility checks and sperm donor searches to conception and newborn care.

Gay Moms Club

Describing itself as “the first-of-its-kind lifestyle community and marketplace for LGBTQIA+ moms and allies,” Gay Moms Club aims to connect LGBTQ+ moms and promote brands that support LGBTQ+ communities and families. Membership offers access to a community website with chat rooms and discussion boards where lesbian moms can connect based on topics or location. Members can also explore a directory of fellow members, filtered by interests, location, family, and experiences, and arrange one-on-one meetups with like-minded individuals.

Pop Luck Club

Started by gay dads in Southern California, the Pop Luck Club supports LGBTQ+ fathers "building families through fostering, adoption, co-parenting, and surrogacy." The organization fosters mutual support, community collaboration, and public understanding, providing positive images of gay parenting.

Monthly meetings—both online and in-person—offer gay dads and prospective parents support and resources. Regular panel discussions cover topics like "Surrogacy, Fostering & Adoption," "Legal Issues for Gay Dads," "Finances: How to Plan for the Future," and "Girl Stuff 101: Raising our daughters."

Trans Hub

TransHub, an Australian transgender support network, provides a comprehensive guide for trans individuals looking to start a biological family, offering guidance on getting pregnant, breast or chestfeeding, and addressing the unique challenges trans pregnant people face.

TransHub assures that past testosterone use does not negatively impact the likelihood of a healthy pregnancy or birth. Research supports this, indicating no significant differences in pregnancy outcomes between those who have used testosterone and those who have not. For trans parents expecting, adopting, or parenting, Postpartum Support International hosts a Queer & Trans Parent Support Group with queer and trans peer facilitators.

These organizations play vital roles in supporting LGBTQ+ families and individuals on their journey to parenthood, offering resources, community, and advocacy to foster inclusive family-building environments.