My wife and I had the time of our lives getting pregnant. For me, the IVF process wasn’t cumbersome; it was magical. Every shot and every pill got me one step closer to growing our family.

How lucky are we, we told ourselves, to be gay at a time when science and laws have progressed enough to let us make a baby together? Sure, he wouldn’t have both of our genes, but it definitely took both of us to bring him into this world. 

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It’s a scary time for the LGBTQ+ community. Our rights and the rights of our families are at risk. At the same time, LGBTQ+ people today have access to family-building options our predecessors could only dream about. Yes, there are challenges – financial, legal, logistical, emotional – but the possibilities are there in a way they’ve never been before. 

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And amidst all of the horror of the last few weeks, that still feels like something to celebrate. 

The February Edition of LGBTQ Nation is The Family-Building Issue. The pieces we will publish throughout the month explore everything from the history of LGBTQ+ parenthood to fertility considerations for transgender parents to the mental health of donor-conceived children to the rise of single gay dads. 

These pieces, produced by writers from across the country, honor both the beauty and grit involved when LGBTQ+ people grow their families.

Family-building is a high-velocity topic for anyone, but for most LGBTQ+ people, there is so much more inherently involved – so many decisions to make, so many expenses to save for, so many laws to navigate, and so many ethical quandaries to consider. It’s scary and wonderful and overwhelming and a miracle all in one. 

LGBTQ+ people thinking about growing their families today likely feel more uncertain than they did a few months ago about the kind of world in which they’ll be raising their children. But if anyone is going to keep bringing kids into this world or into their families, it should be LGBTQ+ people, who are probably among the most well-equipped to raise kids with empathy, openness, and a drive to make the world a better, more inclusive place.  

But most LGBTQ+ people didn’t grow up learning what their future families could look like or how they could create them. This issue showcases the many ways our community builds love. It also showcases where we must grow and where the institutions that are supposed to help us – from insurance companies to sperm banks – must also grow. 

Motherhood is the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I am grateful for the LGBTQ+ activists who came before me and fought for my ability to be the parent I am today. Let’s keep fighting for our families and fighting to make the systems better for the next generation. 

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