LGBT+ Adoption Success Story
Most adoption journeys begin with cautious optimism. The fear of not connecting with the child, unpredictable financial costs and the uncertainty of not being chosen as adoptive parents. These are all understandable realities for many couples and singles looking to adopt. There are even more hurdles to get through when the adoptive parents are part of the LGBT+ community.
Adoption is a very emotional journey, but the more positive reality is a successful adoption. Brought to you by Adoption Choices of Arizona, here is a LGBT+ adoption success story involving two dads and their two sons!
Meet Ryan and Brandon
Ryan and Brandon Bolton first met in early 2012 at a bar in Chicago. Ryan was a frequent patron at this bar and was happily surprised to find a new face in the crowd, Brandon. At the time, Brandon was a professional hair and make-up artist and was on tour. The cast and crew of the show decided to visit Ryan’s local watering hole. Ryan and Brandon fell in love at first sight.
In August of the same year they met, Ryan and Brandon decided to elope in New York, as Illinois hadn’t legalized same sex marriage yet. Roughly a year later, the pair moved to Florida where they would start their lives together, including their adoption journey.
The Road to Adoption
When Ryan and Brandon settled into their new home in Florida, they decided to start researching for their fatherhood journey. They both agreed that adoption would be the best fit for them and their finances. They spent the next year and a half of their lives researching adoption, creating an extensive profile and saving up money for their future child. With fingers crossed, the pair signed with Adoption Center US in January of 2015.
While waiting to see if they would be chosen as adoptive parents, Ryan and Brandon took some advice from their social worker and decided to sign with a second adoption agency to double their chances of having their fatherhood dreams come true. They figured that signing with Legal Person while working with Adoption Center US would help their adoption journey move quickly.
In an interview about their successful LGBT+ adoption, Brandon stated that they “had heard stories of people waiting for years for a child and [they] didn’t want to fall into that.” This is why they signed with two different adoption agencies, and it definitely paid off.
The Calls
Less than 8 months after signing with Legal Person, Ryan and Brandon answered the call of a match with a birth mother. Already half way through her pregnancy, the two future dads only had to wait a few months before their son was born. They spent those months preparing for the birth of their son, and getting their house ready to bring him home. In January of 2016, Ryan and Brandon announced to the world that their son Derek was born healthy and strong. Just a couple of days after bringing Derek home, the pair received a call from the first adoption agency they signed with.
Their social worker let them know that there was another baby boy, born only 5 days after Derek, who needed a home. Adoption Center US believed that Ryan and Brandon were the perfect fit for this baby boy. The new dads were shocked at this news, but they had to make a decision quick. While having their social worker on speaker phone, Ryan and Brandon wrote notes to each other back and forth, trying to gauge each other’s thoughts. Finally Brandon wrote down yes or no and had Ryan circle his answer. Without hesitation, Ryan circled yes and Brandon did the same, confirming that they would welcome another baby boy into their family. “We knew he was meant to be with us,” Ryan stated. “And we got to meet him the next morning.” Just a few days later, Derek got to welcome home his new baby brother, Parker.
One Big Happy Family
Ryan and Brandon knew when they got married that they wanted to make a family together. During their relationship pre-babies, they had talked about having children together and how many they wanted. Ryan said, “We decided we ultimately wanted two children. This decision fast-tracked that, but we felt as if it was meant to be.” These happy dads are very fortunate that their plans easily fell into place. Although they were expecting a much longer time between the birth of their first and second child, they don’t regret their decision to adopt both Derek and Parker at the same time.
This hasn’t meant that the transition between married couple, and married couple with two babies has been easy. “It’s very hard and takes a lot of patience,” Ryan shared. “We don’t regret this decision in the slightest.” Luckily the pair had all they needed to care for two boys, with only having to get another car seat for new family member Parker.
The happy boys are now 4 years old and love all things Disney — just like their fathers! Brandon, who goes by Papa, and Ryan, whose title is Daddy, are completely in love with their sons.
“I didn’t know how intensely I could feel about protecting someone until we met them,” Brandon confesses.
Successful LGBT+ Adoption
Ryan and Brandon’s journey to fatherhood is just one of the many success stories those in the LGBT+ community have with adoption. Same sex parents are raising 4% of children adopted in the United States. Same sex adoption and parenting has become more and more widley accepted, resulting in more children finding their forever home. Thanks to Ryan and Brandon, their little boys Derek and Parker will have a fulfilling childhood surrounded by love and acceptance.
Brandon and Ryan’s Social Media Pages
For adoption resources or to begin your adoption journey, birth parents can visit us at Adoption Choices of Arizona or call or text us at 1-480-900-5520. If you are an prospective adoptive family hoping to adopt a baby, please instead, visit us here!
Meet the author: Sarah Aguilera, a Northern Arizona University linguistics and creative writing graduate, is an aspiring author with a passion for influencing others through written words. She has a healthy ardor for all things literature and is often found with a book in her hands.
When she’s not working, Sarah likes to spend her free time swimming, playing with her dog, going to concerts with friends and having crazy adventures with her family. Her love for her own family is what pushed her to join the adoption writing team. She looks forward to educating those hoping to grow their family through adoption.
