I sat down with Craig Melvin and TODAY to talk about something I’ve spent over a decade of my life on: making the path to parenthood a little less lonely, a little less confusing, and a lot more possible for LGBTQ+ people. But honestly, the best part of this segment wasn’t me — it was getting to share it with Aaron and Horacio.
These are two dads I’ve had the privilege of working with through GWK Academy, and watching their journey to parenthood unfold has been one of the reasons I do this work in the first place.
Why I Built This
When my husband Ferd and I became dads back in 2009, there was almost nothing out there for us. No roadmap, no community, no one who really understood what it meant to build a family as two gay men. We figured it out through trial, error, and a lot of googling at 1am. That experience — the isolation of not knowing where to turn — is exactly why I started Gays With Kids, and later, GWK Academy.
Starting a family is never simple for anyone. But for LGBTQ+ people, there are extra layers — legal roadblocks, financial hurdles, and just not knowing who to trust for good information. I built GWK Academy so no one has to go through what Ferd and I did alone.
Aaron and Horacio’s Story
Getting to walk alongside Aaron and Horacio as they built their family — and then getting to share their story on national TV — is exactly the kind of full-circle moment that makes this work worth it. Their journey is proof of what’s possible when people have real guidance and a real community behind them.
Watch It
If you missed it, you can catch the full segment above.
And if you’re somewhere on your own path to parenthood — whether you’re just starting to explore your options or knee-deep in the process — I’d love for you to check out what we’ve built at GWK Academy. You don’t have to figure this out alone.
If you want to support our mission to help LGBTQ+ people realize their dreams of parenthood, please consider making a donation.
