MORE INFO: Creating a Family: Choices for Prospective LGBT Parents Workshop
Feb. 23, 9:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta
1911 Cliff Valley Way
$15 per adult; advance registration required
404-808-3350, www.megafamilyproject.org
Same Love, Same Rights
Wedding & Family Expo
Feb. 24, noon - 5 p.m.
Bold American Catering at the King Plow Center
887 W. Marietta Street NW, Studio K-102
Free, www.samelovesamerights.com
Ready to settle down or have kids? Two forums next weekend offer gay couples advice and supportive sources for planning weddings or becoming parents.
On Feb. 23, the MEGA Family Project offers a workshop to explore options for prospective parents. Then on Feb. 24, the “Same Love, Same Rights Wedding & Planning Expo” returns to Atlanta for its fourth annual event showcasing local, gay-friendly vendors.
One of MEGA Family Project’s most important missions is to strengthen and empower gay families, said Executive Director Kathy Kelly. The group occasionally holds family planning seminars for prospective gay parents.
“We usually have over 100 attendees. It's probably one of the most sought after workshops we have so we’re trying to put it on more often,” Kelly said.
The event will be split between experts from the Independent Adoption Center; Growing Generations, a surrogacy company; social workers; the Feminist Women’s Health Center; and a panel of parents.
“We want to provide both the professionals and then the parents who have been through the process because the professionals will kind of sugarcoat things sometimes,” Kelly says. As a result, parents will be on and to discuss the ups and downs of insemination, the rigors of adoption and adjusting to life with a baby.
One of the experts is Cleo Meyer, the first openly gay insurance agent to have her own office with State Farm in Georgia. She will be on hand to talk about insurance needs and the experience she and her partner had adopting their son.
“I saw that a lot of people had a level of angst about talking with their partner about the need for insurance, and when you have children you really need to look at your coverage and plan for the future,” Meyer says.
“Insurance is about preparing your family in case something unfortunate happens, and the need for insurance magnifies when you have a child.”
Attendees must register in advance, either by phone or through the MEGA website. The workshop costs $15 and will cover lunch and related materials.
“We joined MEGA so that Conner would see that he’s not the only family out there with two mommies, and it’s just been a great group to be a part of,” Meyer says.
THE EXPO SLATED FOR FEB. 24 will focus less on information and more on business and politics.
“It’s like a mini-Pride for business and professionals who help people start families,” says Cindy Sproul, founder of the Rainbow Wedding Network. The network’s website, rainbowweddingnetwork.com, generates $7 to $8 million in business from couples registering online, she says.
The event, sponsored in part by Southern Voice, typically draws more than 400 people and is the largest of the seven events the network puts on across the country each year. One big draw is the local companies screened to be gay friendly.
“It’s great to come to even if you’re not planning a wedding,” Sproul says. “It’s a great way to meet companies that have been screened by us to be gay friendly. We have realtors, photographers, adoption agencies, all sorts of companies.”
One of the vendors is freelance wedding photographer Mary Wood.
“I love it. It's great to meet so many people,” Wood says. Networking with couples and other wedding providers is a great attribute of the expo, she adds.
“Each year I probably get a half dozen weddings,” Wood says.
This year’s expo will be the first to feature the “Mobile Marriage Summit,” which will include a rally, petition signing and political networking.
“We’re trying to energize, focus the community,” Sproul says.
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