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Explore Gay
Dads Australia
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Library & Resources
Your Rights:
- Over The
Rainbow - A guide to the law for lesbian and gay men
in Victoria. Over the Rainbow online is an initiative of the
Victorian Gay & Lesbian Rights Lobby and the Department of
Justice. This site is intended to help you understand how you can
use the law to enforce your right to equal treatment and to
protect yourself and your (newly recognised) families from the
effects of discrimination.
Parents & Friends of Lesbians and
Gays:
- PFLAG
Newsletters - Provides free downloadable copies
of the PFLAG Newsletters from March 2000 to date.
Books for Parents:
- Reinventing
the Family : The Emerging Story of Lesbian and Gay
Parents - Homophobia in Schools, Lesbian and
Gay Parents in Courts, Adoption Struggles, Biological Parenting,
Legal Issues of Non Heterosexual Families
- Complete
Lesbian & Gay Parenting Handbook - Lev, Arlen
Istar - Gay parenting is a productive and positive decision, but
author and lesbian mother Arlene Lev admits it isn't always an
easy one. With practical wisdom and advice, and personal real-life
stories, Lev prepares gay parents for this endeavor with
everything they need to know and everything they can expect while
making their own significant and challenging mark on family life
in the 21st century.
 Fatherhood
for Gay Men: An Emotional and Practical Guide to Becoming a Gay
Dad - McGarry, Kevin & Tatich, Margaret -
Personal account of a single gay man's struggle to become a father
despite obstacles both real and imagined. Also discusses the
adoption process both domestic and international.
-
 Gay Dads - A Celebration of
Fatherhood - An internet
resource and a book by David Strah with Susanna Margolis. The
first book to feature inspiring portraits of gay men and their
families from all across America. An evolution has quietly been
occurring in the world of parenting. Recent surveys reveal that
millions of children have found loving homes either by being born
to, or being adopted by, gay men. This book is a celebration of
all these remarkable new families. Gay Dads includes twenty-five
personal accounts from men describing their unique journeys to
fatherhood and the struggles and successes they have experienced
as they raise their children. This is the first book to provide
such an expansive exploration of this extraordinary new family
unit. With beautiful black-and-white photographs of each of the
families, Gay Dads is a moving tribute to familial love.
- Gay Parent - Gay Parent magazine
(GPM) is a 16 - 20 page bound newsprint magazine featuring
personal stories of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT)
parents from across the country and around the world. Parents
speak candidly about their experiences with international and
domestic adoption, foster care, donor insemination, using a
surrogate and what it is like to raise their children in their
part of the world.
- Other
Gay Parenting Books - Hares
& Hyenas List
Books for
Children:
-
 Rainbow Cubby House - Brenna and Vicki
Harding - In the third book in this made-in-Australia easy-to-read
series, the narrator, her mums, her friend Jed and his dads decide
to build a cubby (tree house) in the backyard. Check out the three
companion books: Going to Fair Day, My House and Koalas on Parade!
In response to recent research evidence highlighting schools as
key sites of homophobic bullying and violence, Learn to Include
has worked with local children to develop and refine two new books
for schools interested in helping children learn about diverse
families, in particular families with two mums or two dads
(Source: ‘You shouldn’t have to hide to be safe’ A Report on
Homophobic Hostilities and Violence Against Gay Men and Lesbians
in NSW, NSW Attorney General’s Department 2002).
- Going to Fair
Day - Brenna and Vicki Harding - This book has
bright, kid-friendly pictures accompany the simple story of a girl
who goes to the fair with her mums, and comes home with a new dog!
Don't miss the companion books: My House, Koalas on Parade and The
Rainbow Cubby House! In response to recent research evidence
highlighting schools as key sites of homophobic bullying and
violence, Learn to Include has worked with local children to
develop and refine two new books for schools interested in helping
children learn about diverse families, in particular families with
two mums or two dads (Source: ‘You shouldn’t have to hide to be
safe’ A Report on Homophobic Hostilities and Violence Against Gay
Men and Lesbians in NSW, NSW Attorney General’s Department
2002).
- My
House - Brenna and Vicki Harding - This book is the
first easy reader we've seen for two "mum" families (there's also
a few companion books: Going to Fair Day, Koalas on Parade and The
Rainbow Cubby House). Bright, kid-friendly pictures accompany the
simple story of a girl who lives with her two moms, and what it's
like at her house.In response to recent research evidence
highlighting schools as key sites of homophobic bullying and
violence, Learn to Include has worked with local children to
develop and refine two new books for schools interested in helping
children learn about diverse families, in particular families with
two mums or two dads (Source: ‘You shouldn’t have to hide to be
safe’ A Report on Homophobic Hostilities and Violence Against Gay
Men and Lesbians in NSW, NSW Attorney General’s Department
2002).
- Koalas on
Parade - Brenna and Vicki Harding - The fourth book
in this made-in-Australia easy-to-read series is just as fun as
the first three (My House, Going to Fair Day and The Rainbow Cubby
House). The narrator's mums help her make a koala costume for her
school's Costume Parade; when she finds out that her friend Hannah
is also a koala, the two girls dance together in the parade and
take home first prize! In response to recent research evidence
highlighting schools as key sites of homophobic bullying and
violence, Learn to Include has worked with local children to
develop and refine two new books for schools interested in helping
children learn about diverse families, in particular families with
two mums or two dads (Source: ‘You shouldn’t have to hide to be
safe’ A Report on Homophobic Hostilities and Violence Against Gay
Men and Lesbians in NSW, NSW Attorney General’s Department
2002).
- Daddy, Papa
and Me: How My Family Came To Be - Aldrich, Andrew R.
- Appropriate for school-aged children this simply told book
explores the changing makeup of families. It is the heart warming
story of one little boys interracial adoption by two loving gay
dads. Great illustrations and a poignant reminder that it is love
that is the essential ingredient for a happy family.
-
 Daddy's
Roommate (Alyson Wonderland) - by Michael Willhoite -
This picture book is an auspicious beginning to the Alyson
Wonderland imprint, "which focuses on books for and about the
children of lesbian and gay parents." That the venture is being
undertaken is in itself commendable: consciousness-raising
concerning gay issues can handily begin at an early age with the
help of books such as Willhoite's. His text is suitably
straightforward, and the format--single lines of copy beneath
full-page illustrations--easily accessible to the intended
audience. The story's narrator begins with his parents' divorce,
and continues, "Now there's somebody new at Daddy's house." The
new arrival is male; Frank and Daddy are seen pursuing their daily
routine (eating, shaving, sleeping--even fighting), and on
weekends the three interact easily on their various outings.
"Mommy says Frank and Daddy are gay"--this new concept is
explained to the child as "just one more kind of love."
Willhoite's cartoony pictures work well here; the colorful
characters with their contemporary wardrobes and familiar
surroundings lend the tale a stabilizing air of warmth and
familiarity. Ages 2-5.
-
 Daddy's Wedding - by Michael Willhoite - The
sequel to the headline-making Daddy's Roommate (1990), this
picture book seems destined to touch off a similar controversy.
This time Daddy is getting married to his partner, Frank, and asks
his 10-year-old son to be the best man at their "wedding" (or
"commitment ceremony," as Frank calls it). If the reception of
Daddy's Roommate is much of a predictor, people's responses to
this book will center almost exclusively on its politics, not its
artistic merits. Those in the market for picture books about gay
parenting will laud Willhoite's candor and forthright approach,
and overlook the cartoonish art and mediocre text. For others, the
subject matter alone will suffice to condemn the book. If applied
to another theme, the meager talents showcased here wouldn't draw
much attention, but with same-sex marriage such a hot topic right
now, the one thing the book won't be is ignored. Ages
3-7.
- One
Dad, Two Dads, Brown Dad, Blue Dads - by Johnny
Valentine, Melody Sarecky - PreSchool-Grade 2-The message that all
people are basically the same whatever their skin color or sexual
orientation is a worthy one, but this book, despite its cheerful
pictures, is too didactic to have much appeal. In rhyming text,
two children discuss a boy's two blue dads. He points out that,
aside from their color, they are the same as other fathers-they
work, play, and laugh. His friend wonders how they got that way
and offers numerous explanations, but he tells her that they are
blue simply because they are. The only trouble with the situation
is that they are hard to see against the sky. "But except for that
problem,/our life is routine,/and they're just like all other
dads-/black, white, or green." And when the girl declares that she
has never seen a green dad, a new child appears, stating that her
two fathers are both green. Children young enough to take the tale
at face value will probably think it is silly (since people are
neither blue nor green), while older readers would be better
served by a straightforward presentation of the subject
matter.
DVD
& Video:
- Two Men & Two Babies –
" A follow-up documentary that takes audiences back into the lives of Tony Wood and Lee Matthews, one of the first Australian gay male couples to take what was then, the controversial step of creating a new family through commercial surrogacy in the United
States"
.
Man Made: The Story Of Two Men & A Baby
" explored Tony and Lee's overwhelming desire to have a child, their decision to pursue commercial surrogacy, and their fraught journey to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to experience the birth of their son Alexander to a surrogate,
Junoa".
"It is five years since Alexander's birth, and Tony and Lee now have a second child, Lucinda through surrogacy. Same egg donor, same surrogate. The sequel documents the intervening years since Alexander's birth and provides a unique insight into the world of this alternative
family".
-
 Daddy and
Papa (2002) - What if your most
controversial act turned out to be the most traditional thing in
the world? Daddy & Papa explores the growing phenomenon of gay
fatherhood and its impact on American culture. Through the stories
of four different families, Daddy & Papa delves into some of
the particular challenges facing gay men who decide to become
dads. From surrogacy and interracial adoption, to the complexities
of gay divorce, to the battle for full legal status as parents,
Daddy & Papa presents a revealing look at some of the gay
fathers who are breaking new ground in the ever-changing landscape
of the American family.
Trailer - Daddy and Papa Trailer
(3.6MB)
Trailer - Forever Family (2.6MB)
Trailer -
The Foster Mother
(1.4MB)
Trailer - A Child of Divorced Gay Parents
(1.9MB)
Trailer - A Curve Ball
(2.6MB)
-
 Paternal
Instinct (2004) - Paternal Instinct may not change
the minds of those who oppose same-sex marriage and parenthood,
but you'd have to have a cold, cold heart to remain unmoved by
this poignant documentary. Originally broadcast on HBO, the film
demonstrates, on deeply personal and emotional terms, that "the
road to fatherhood is not always a straight one." It focuses on
Erik and Mark, a gay couple for ten years, who decide to become
parents through the surrogate motherhood of Wen, a happily married
wife, mother, and practicing witch (or Wiccan, if you prefer).
Forming a devoted trio of compassionate cooperation, they struggle
through an emotional roller-coaster ride including trial and
error, miscarriage, self-doubts and setbacks, all leading to the
birth of two daughters (one is biologically Erik's, the other
Mark's) and the universal elation of new parenthood. By covering
all three years in this heart-wrenching process, filmmaker Murray
Nossel creates real-life drama that's more compelling as any
fiction movie could ever be, and the circumstances--family support
on all sides--make this a deeply effective argument for the
validity of same-sex parenthood. By presenting a "21st century
twist" on the American family, Paternal Instinct avoids political
rancor and goes straight to the heart of the matter: Once you've
seen this film, it's impossible to believe that Erik, Mark, and
their children could be anything but a blessing. Considering the
fact that many heterosexual couples are unfit for parenthood, a
little Paternal Instinct seems like a very good thing
indeed.
Trailer -
Paternal Instinct
-
 We Are
Dad - The film follows the lives of a most unusual
family: 2 white HIV negative gay men and their family of 5 kids. 4
of them have AIDS, 3 are black, 2 come from a backwater cult in
Oregon, and one of the children has been in the middle of one of
the most hotly debated issues in this country: Gay adoption. We
follow these delightful men through the highs and lows of their 18
year struggle to raise this amazing family. While the facts may be
grim, their family is full of joy, laughter, the bustle of
activity, and a well-honed sense of irony that keeps them all
healthy, happy and immune from those who would have them
disbanded. People are constantly surprised by the amount of
laughter and joy that comes out of the theatres presenting this
film. We invite you to join the ranks that have called this film a
wonderfully life affirming
experience.
Trailer - We Are Dad
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