Sydney Star Observer - "Gay Dads Put Family First" by Ian Gould

A COMMUNITY INFORMATION NIGHT WILL LOOK AT HOW GAY MEN CAN BECOME FATHERS AND WHAT BEING A GAY DAD IS REALLY LIKE.

When Dominic Gili set up the Gay Dads NSW group last year, his main aim was to provide a social outlet for other gay fathers.

But as the group grew to include about 60 gay fathers and intending dads, its scope moved beyond dinners and picnics.

“I’m getting a lot of emails from men who are looking to be fathers but they don’t know how to go about it,” Gili told Sydney Star Observer.

“They’ve just been asking a lot of questions that I can’t personally answer.”

In response, Gili, himself a father of two children whom he co-parents with two mothers, is organising Gay Dads NSW’s first information night on 3 April.

The evening will include two expert speakers and two gay fathers, who will share their parenting experiences.

“I included two of the men in the group who have children, one via surrogacy and one via co-parenting, so it’s listening to personal accounts,” Gili said.

Providing expert advice will be Paul Boers, a family law solicitor, and volunteer at the Inner City Legal Centre in Darlinghurst.

Boers will discuss the options for gay men wanting to start a family and provide information on who can be a legal parent and how to acquire legal parental responsibility.

Dr Kim Bergman, co-owner of US surrogacy agency Growing Generations and co-chair of US LGBT parenting advocacy group Family Pride Coalition, will also talk about how gay men can become fathers through surrogacy.

Gili is hoping for a strong turnout next month after an impressive response to the Gay Dads NSW stall at Fair Day last month.

“At Fair Day we had a stall near Kidzone and we must have got a list of about 30 guys interested in joining us,” he said.

Gay Dads NSW plans to hold similar information nights every three months.

“The interest seems to be growing, I think, as the word is going out,” Gili said.

The Gay Dads NSW information night is on Monday 3 April from 6:45pm to 9pm at the Twenty10 office, 43 Bedford St, Newtown. All are welcome and admission is free. RSVP by 27 March to info@gaydadsnsw.com.au.

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