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On February 23-25, 2024, the nonprofit Males Having Infants (MHB) is teaming with the LGBTQ Institute and extra regional nonprofits to deliver to Atlanta its internationally acclaimed Surrogacy Convention & Homosexual Parenting Expo. It will likely be MHB’s fifth United States vacation spot, becoming a member of long-running conferences in New York, Fort Lauderdale, Chicago, and San Francisco, in addition to Brussels and Berlin in Europe.
Providing unparalleled schooling, monetary help and advocacy outreach, the nonprofit Males Having Infants (MHB) is a number one voice for equality and fairness for homosexual fathers in the USA and past. A planning course of embarked by the group decided that residents of the South, in addition to the Black LGBTQ neighborhood nationwide, don’t benefit from the desired degree of entry to the academic and monetary assets it provides. “Following quite a few conversations with MHB members and allies from the South, in addition to consultations with Black LGBTQ organizations, we decided {that a} convention in Atlanta can be the simplest solution to higher attain these underserved communities,” mentioned Ron Poole-Dayan, MHB’s Govt Director.
Males Having Infants was spun-off in 2012 from a program at New York Metropolis’s LGBT Heart, and it’s primarily recognized for the collection of conferences it provides worldwide. In these three-day occasions the group’s workers and board members, the vast majority of whom are fathers or former surrogates, share a wealth of data with homosexual males aspiring to develop into fathers. Attendees profit from peer steerage; knowledgeable recommendation; details about financing, grants and assets; inspirational testimonies; and a chance to fulfill dozens of respected clinics, companies, legislation corporations and different complementary service suppliers.
The group champions an Moral Framework to make sure that the rights and long-term wellbeing of all concerned events are safeguarded. MHB additionally strives to broaden authorized and monetary accessibility to moral parenting choices for homosexual males by way of a sturdy monetary help program, and advocacy for laws and different initiatives to take away discriminatory practices and advance Fertility Equality.
With a rising, vibrant LGBTQ+ neighborhood of about 200,000, Atlanta is already among the many most gay-friendly cities within the South and is taken into account a prime vacation spot for LGBTQ+ guests. The hometown of Martin Luther King Jr., Atlanta is often known as a Black homosexual vacation spot, with the world’s largest Black Homosexual Delight celebration. “We’re thrilled to announce that the opening day of the convention will probably be held at Atlanta’s iconic Nationwide Heart for Civil and Human Rights, and co-hosted by The Heart’s LGBTQ Institute,” mentioned Jenny Congiardo, MHB’s Director of Operations. “As well as, convention attendees can have unique entry to The Heart’s displays on the opening night time.”
“We’re proud to help MHB’s work to develop entry to vital assets for Black homosexual males that empower them to develop into mother and father,” mentioned Tim’m West, govt director of the LGBTQ Institute. “The Atlanta Surrogacy Convention & Homosexual Parenting Expo aligns with our mission to create dynamic experiences that construct empathy and encourage people to safeguard the rights of all individuals all over the place.”
Whereas MHB prides itself on bringing unbiased steerage and knowledgeable recommendation to potential mother and father wherever its conferences are held, an equal objective is to verify this system is personalized primarily based on regional and cultural wants, and that native service suppliers are additionally featured. “The Atlanta MHB convention is taking our dedication to that includes community-friendly native companies a step additional by teaming up with OUT Georgia Enterprise Alliance to collaboratively provide a Useful resource Honest on Sunday, February 25,” mentioned Sara Miller, MHB’s Director of Enterprise Growth and Programming.
“OUT Georgia is worked up to welcome MHB’s Surrogacy Convention & Expo to Atlanta, the place we’ll collaborate on distinct methods to deliver LGBTQ+ small companies, organizations, and specialists collectively in help of homosexual mother and father and households within the South and across the World,” mentioned Chris Lugo, Govt Director of OUT Georgia Enterprise Alliance.
Further supporting neighborhood organizations, together with Metro Atlanta Affiliation of Professionals (MAAP) and Georgia Voice will probably be current on the Sunday Useful resource Honest as effectively.
Katie Burkholder, Editor of Georgia Voice, mentioned: “The Georgia Voice is a proud sponsor of Males Having Infants, and we’re so excited for Atlanta to host the Surrogacy Convention and Homosexual Parenting Expo subsequent yr. Throughout a time the place assaults towards the LGBTQ neighborhood – notably LGBTQ youth and oldsters – are rising together with heavier policing on household planning as a result of stringent abortion legal guidelines within the Southeast, the neighborhood and assets Males Having Infants offers are extra vital than ever.”
Atlanta’s convention will start on the afternoon of Friday (February 23, 2024) on the Nationwide Heart for Civil and Human Rights with a “Surrogacy 101” session that explains the fundamentals of a surrogacy journey to assist dispel myths and misconceptions. The convention will proceed Saturday and Sunday (February 24-25) on the Omni Atlanta at CNN Heart, with alternatives for attendees to dive deeper into the medical, authorized, and monetary facets of surrogacy, together with steerage on find out how to make knowledgeable selections. Different classes embody particular steerage for single dads-to-be, and shared views of homosexual dads, surrogates, an egg donor, and a dialogue panel of teenagers who had been born through surrogacy.
MHB’s advocacy involvement will probably be mirrored in a number of classes as effectively. A session about “Social Attitudes In the direction of Surrogacy” will probably be devoted to inspecting surrogacy ethics and cultural biases that enable the tolerance of laws and practices that discriminate towards homosexual fathers. Different classes will probably be devoted to methods wherein potential fathers could make the method extra inexpensive. Subjects will embody find out how to price range neatly, find out how to reap the benefits of monetary help and member reductions by MHB, and find out how to reap the benefits of, or advocate for, protection of surrogacy-related medical prices on the office.
Proceeds from the convention’s sponsorship charges profit MHB’s Homosexual Parenting Help Program (GPAP), which yearly offers potential mother and father with over one million {dollars}’ value of money grants, reductions, and free companies from over 140 main service suppliers.
For extra info and tickets: menhavingbabies.org/atlanta.
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