Earlier this week, President Obama officially declared the month of June to be Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month!

As the nation celebrates this occasion, it is a good time to bring an important issue to the forefront – alternative family building. As noted in a past USA Today article, there is an estimated six to 12 million children in the U.S. who have a lesbian or gay parent. And an increasing number of same-sex couples are looking to expand their families.

Unfortunately, there are even more obstacles for gay couples when trying to start their own families due to the political and legal issues involved. It is important to financially, physically and emotionally prepare for a challenging road ahead. Gay couples also must enlist an attorney to draw up contracts that protect not only themselves, but also their biological offspring. Often adoption or co-parenting agreements need to be accomplished.

Cost is another factor to consider. Insurance benefits for surrogacy and/or IVF treatments are often restricted since same sex couples do not meet the insurance’s companies definition of “infertility.”

And sadly, discrimination is widespread. Same sex families are denied the benefits and protections of a marriage in most states.

For Citywide PRIDE month in Chicago, I have teamed with UBS and PricewaterhouseCoopers to help gay and lesbian couples plan and prepare for parenthood. I will be leading a FREE session titled, “Conceivable Options: Alternative Family Building ” Details are as follows:

Date: Thursday June 18, 2009
Time: 11:30am – 1:30pm. Lunch will be served.
Location: UBS Tower, 38th Floor, 1 North Wacker Drive, Chicago

RSVP: By June 15, 2009 at http://citywidepride.info/events.html

Topics will include understanding insurance benefits (if available), how to enlist your human resources department to determine what benefits they may be able to provide and how to identify egg donors and surrogates from “surrogate friendly” states. The discussion will conclude with tips for how to financially plan and prepare for treatment, and a Q&A session.

Please try to join me! If you’re not in the Chicago area, e-mail me. I am happy to share my presentation notes with you, or discuss options over the telephone.