On Sunday, June 25, we hosted our much anticipated, "2023 Making Rainbow Families" seminar. The event brought together 70 people from around the country who were looking to learn more about starting their own family. The day was led by our own rainbow parent of two gorgeous girls, and Rainbow Families Exec. Officer - Ashley Scott, along with an A list of guest speakers and experts from all corners of the family making sector, who discussed the many ways to start a family for prospective LGBTQ+ parents.
We covered it all.
We know first-hand that LGBTQ+ people can face unique challenges when starting or expanding their families and because of that our seminar addressed these challenges by providing information about assisted reproductive technologies, surrogacy, adoption, fostering, and other alternative family-building options. Attendees gained a deeper understanding of the legal, medical, emotional, and financial aspects involved in each pathway, allowing them to make informed decisions that aligned with their personal circumstances.
Supported and understood.
Our aim was to ensure that LGBTQ+ people/couples felt supported, understood, and equipped with the necessary resources to navigate the often-complex world of creating a family. Thanks to some great feedback we received after the event, we know a lot of people are feeling more confident about their pathway to parenthood and can join the dots a lot more easily.
We’d love to thank our four young, community Youth Advisory Council members who also took part in the seminar and shared their own experiences of being in a LGBTQ+ family and answered audience questions which greatly contributed to the day, given their first-hand experience as queer kids or kids of LGBTQ+ parents.
11-year-old YAC Stella Scott said, “The seminar was great because we got to guide people on how to be good LGBTQ+ parents. We got to be on stage and answer lots of questions that would help the audience and we talked about what we like about our community and how it is so good to be part of Rainbow Families.”
Another big thanks to our experts on the day.
A very special thank you goes out to IVF Australia, Surrogacy Australia, Growing Families, Te Koha Midwifery, Sydney Couple and Family Specialists, Barkers Evans, and Barnardos. Their valuable insights and support provided attendees with up-to-date information and guidance about family-building. We appreciate the massive effort, especially for those of you who flew from interstate or travelled from outside of Sydney, to support us.
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