Gay Dads Victoria will hold one of its biggest information forums yet in Melbourne next week for gay men interested in starting a family.
Gay Dads Victoria convenor Rodney Chaing-Cruise told Southern Star numbers have been building steadily over the last few years.
“We’ve already got 60 people registered so far,” he said. “It’s our fifth forum in four years and there’s been a fairly steady jump each year, but this is certainly the biggest forum we’ve held.”
The event is on Saturday, May 22 from 10am-1pm in Prahran and will cover local, US and Indian surrogacy options.
Gay Dads Victoria is one of the only organised groups in the nation providing up-to-date information on gay surrogacy. Chaing-Cruise said India is the burning question on everyone’s lips.
“India has become more affordable, so people who previously didn’t have the option of surrogacy financially … can afford the Indian option,” he said.
“About two years ago about 10 percent were using India and about 90 percent were going through the US. Now it’s 50 percent US, 50 percent India.”
Currently there are concerns that the Indian surrogacy market may close its doors to singles and gay couples, as the Indian government moves to regulate its IVF industry.
Chaing-Cruise said he doesn’t expect the surrogacy laws to pass this year.
However, he said it’s possible agencies could adopt provisions — like only allowing access to married or heterosexual couples — before any laws are passed.
Phil Copeland, 38 and his partner Sam Everingham, 42, who are expecting twins from a surrogate in India, told Southern Star their Indian surrogacy agency had no issues with their sexuality.
The pair have taken five years to start their family, after first looking at adoption and fostering.
“Adoption wasn’t going to happen in Australia … and then we looked at fostering and we went through the whole fostering course … but I had real issues with the co-parenting side of that,” Copeland said.“Sharing the child with the parents, I just couldn’t deal with someone else telling us how to raise the child.”
Copeland and Everingham said Gay Dads Victoria was instrumental in providing the information they needed to go through the surrogacy process.
“We visited some other couples and found out how they did it … and just talked to them to see what they were doing,” Copeland said.
info: Email Rodney Chaing-Cruise at
info@gaydadsaustralia.com to
register your interest.
[Source: Original Article]
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