The Queer Family Podcast – LGBTQ Families & Queer Parenting Stories

Parenting is messy. Queer parenting is no exception. And sometimes you just need to complain about it with your gay friends.

The hosts of Gaytriarchs, David F.M. Vaughn and Gavin Lodge, join Jaimie for a hilarious, unfiltered conversation about raising kids, surviving modern parenting, and why even LGBTQ+ spaces aren't immune to patriarchy.

Fresh off their delightfully chaotic live event with Gays With Kids, the three parents get into everything from screen-time battles and teenage independence to the impossible expectations placed on today's parents. Plus, why does everything default to male, and why are we all so terrified to let our kids do the things we did at their age?

It's a whole lot of laughs, a little righteous feminist rage, and a reminder that none of us really knows what we're doing. And maybe that's okay.

Topics: LGBTQ parenting, queer families, gay dads, lesbian moms, screen time and kids, parenting teenagers, childhood independence, modern parenting, gender stereotypes, patriarchy, misogyny, parenting expectations

🏳️‍🌈 About the guest(s)/ Resources Mentioned

David F.M. Vaughn and Gavin Lodge are the hosts of Gaytriarchs, a hilariously unfiltered comedy podcast about gay dads, parenting, pop culture, and the absurdities of family life.

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🏳️‍🌈 Edited by: Jerson Barajas 🏳️‍🌈 Theme Song by: Tiffany Topol 🏳️‍🌈 Logo by: Daneen Stevenato 

🏳️‍🌈 Shop merch here. 🏳️‍🌈 Full transcript & episode info available on our website

🗳️ VOTE. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ ADVOCATE. 🍼 BUILD QUEER FAMILIES.

The information shared in this episode is for educational purposes only and not a substitute for professional advice. Always consult a trusted professional for your specific situation!

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HIV treatment and prevention have come a long way, but stigma, misinformation, and outdated beliefs continue to shape how we talk about HIV and AIDS. What should parents and families know, and how can we better prepare our children to advocate for their own health?

This week on The Queer Family Podcast, Jaimie Kelton welcomes HIV advocates Masonia Traylor, founder of Lady Burgundy, and Jerrell Hartnett of GLAAD for an eye-opening conversation about HIV awareness, sexual health education, and raising informed, empowered children.

Through their lived experiences with HIV, Masonia and Jerrell challenge common misconceptions, explain HIV testing and prevention, discuss U=U (undetectable equals untransmittable), and explore why HIV stigma continues despite decades of medical progress.

The conversation also tackles HIV criminalization, pregnancy, bodily autonomy, medical self-advocacy, and the importance of age-appropriate conversations with children. Plus, a powerful connection between HIV stigma, anti-LGBTQ bullying, and Spirit Day reminds families that supporting LGBTQ youth requires action all year long.

Because raising informed, compassionate children starts with being willing to learn alongside them.

Topics: HIV awareness, HIV stigma, HIV and AIDS, LGBTQ parenting, queer families, sexual health education, HIV testing, HIV prevention, U=U, bodily autonomy, medical self-advocacy, HIV and pregnancy, LGBTQ youth, Spirit Day, LGBTQ bullying.

🏳️‍🌈 About the guest(s)/ Resources Mentioned

Masonia Traylor is an Emmy-nominated producer, mother of two, HIV advocate, and founder and executive director of Lady Burgundy, a nonprofit serving women and youth across the southeastern United States through HIV prevention and intervention. Living with HIV for 16 years, Masonia has spent much of that time publicly sharing her experience and advocating for better education, resources, and support.

Jerrell Hartnett is Associate Director of Education and Advocacy at GLAAD and lead author of the organization's 2026 HIV Stigma Report. Living with HIV for 13 years, Jerrell combines personal experience with research and media advocacy to challenge misinformation, increase visibility, and help reshape the public conversation about HIV.

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🏳️‍🌈 Resources Mentioned

GLAAD — HIV advocacy, media representation, and LGBTQ inclusion

Spirit Day — Resources for supporting LGBTQ youth

2026 HIV Stigma Report

CDC HIV Resources — HIV testing, prevention, and treatment information

HIV.gov — Information about HIV and U=U

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What happens when the sperm donor you never expected to know suddenly becomes someone you could text?

Jaimie is joined by her wife, Anne, for a candid, funny, and occasionally heated conversation about a surprising new chapter in their family's donor-conception journey. What started as a simple question about their daughter's medical history led to something neither of them anticipated: their sperm donor's phone number and an open invitation to reach out.

But just because they can contact him, does that mean they should? Jaimie and Anne have different feelings about it, and their kids have opinions of their own.

Plus, the two moms take on misogyny, school dress codes, victim-blaming, and what it means to raise a daughter and a son in a world still steeped in patriarchy.

It's a little family update, a little feminist rant, and a very real look at how LGBTQ+ families continue to evolve long after the kids arrive.

Topics: Donor conception, LGBTQ families, lesbian parenting, sperm donors, donor siblings, Open ID donors, donor-conceived children, medical history, two-mom families, misogyny, school dress codes, parenting, consent

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The information shared in this episode is for educational purposes only and not a substitute for professional advice. Always consult a trusted professional for your specific situation!

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What does it take for two gay dads to build a family through foster care? Psychologist and author Dr. Kevin Nadal shares how he and his husband went from newly approved foster parents to raising three biological siblings, all adopted through New York City's foster care system.

From receiving a call about a newborn with less than a day's notice to navigating adoption during a global pandemic, Kevin opens up about the emotional realities of foster-to-adopt parenting, the importance of biological family connections, and the challenges of raising Black children in a transracial adoptive family.

He also explores the isolation of gay fatherhood, the importance of LGBTQ+ parenting communities, and why he believes his family came together exactly as it was meant to.

Topics: gay dads, LGBTQ families, foster care, foster-to-adopt, adoption, transracial adoption, biological siblings, queer parenting, gay fatherhood, LGBTQ family building

🏳️‍🌈 About the guest(s)/ Resources Mentioned

Dr. Kevin Nadal is a psychologist, professor, author, and father of three. His work explores the intersections of psychology, social justice, and identity, with books addressing queer psychology, microaggressions, Filipino American psychology, and Asian American psychology. His latest creative venture is Nothing but Net, a queer romance novel that combines basketball, love, and psychology.

Kevin lives in Harlem, New York, with his husband and their three children, all adopted through the New York City foster care system.

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🏳️‍🌈 Edited by: Jerson Barajas 🏳️‍🌈 Theme Song by: Tiffany Topol 🏳️‍🌈 Logo by: Daneen Stevenato 

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🗳️ VOTE. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ ADVOCATE. 🍼 BUILD QUEER FAMILIES.

The information shared in this episode is for educational purposes only and not a substitute for professional advice. Always consult a trusted professional for your specific situation!

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B.J. Woodstein is a queer mom, doula, lactation consultant, author, and LGBTQ+ specialist who knows firsthand how much the right support can change a family’s experience. After difficult pregnancies, birth complications, painful breastfeeding, and healthcare providers who didn’t always understand her two-mom family, B.J. became the kind of provider she wished she’d had.

Jaimie and B.J. talk about queer family building, birth trauma, feeding, advocacy, inclusive language, and why LGBTQ+ people deserve healthcare that sees and respects who they actually are.

Topics: LGBTQ families, queer parenting, lesbian parenting, queer family building, donor conception, sperm donation, pregnancy, hyperemesis gravidarum, birth trauma, breastfeeding, chestfeeding, lactation, doulas, inclusive healthcare, LGBTQ healthcare, nonbinary birth, gender-affirming care

🏳️‍🌈 About the guest(s)/ Resources Mentioned

B.J. Woodstein is a writer, translator, former academic, LGBTQ+ specialist doula, lactation consultant, counselor, and bibliotherapist. She lives in the UK with her wife and their two children.

B.J. is also the author of We’re Here: A Practical Guide to Becoming an LGBTQ+ Parent, which combines practical family-building information with the experiences of LGBTQ+ parents, as well as Be Fruitful, which focuses on family building in the Jewish community.

She also co-runs Queer Wayfinder, which offers counseling, coaching, and bibliotherapy for LGBTQ+ people.

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🏳️‍🌈 Edited by: Jerson Barajas 🏳️‍🌈 Theme Song by: Tiffany Topol 🏳️‍🌈 Logo by: Daneen Stevenato 

🗳️ VOTE. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ ADVOCATE. 🍼 BUILD QUEER FAMILIES.

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description 

Sydney and Gina knew they wanted to build a family—and they knew, as a lesbian couple, it would take planning. What they didn’t expect was a stage-three endometriosis diagnosis right as they began trying to conceive.

In this episode, they walk Jaimie through their queer fertility journey: choosing a known sperm donor, navigating the legal agreements, three failed IUIs, the emotional and financial toll of fertility treatment, and finally moving to IVF. They also talk about grieving differently as partners, advocating for yourself in the medical system, and what it means to parent without a genetic connection.

Their experience ultimately inspired them to create WeFertility, an app designed to help people manage the paperwork, appointments, finances, and endless logistics of family building.

A candid conversation about queer parenting, LGBTQ families, IVF, known donors, endometriosis, and finding something meaningful on the other side of a difficult fertility journey.

Topics: queer parenting, LGBTQ families, lesbian parenting, queer family building, IVF, IUI, known sperm donors, fertility treatment, endometriosis, donor conception, LGBTQ parenting

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🏳️‍🌈 Resources Mentioned

WeFertility - the app designed to help people manage the paperwork, appointments, finances, and endless logistics of family building.

WeFertility Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wefertilityapp

WeFertility TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wefertilityapp?_r=1&_t=ZP-99ePpNsDHEU

WeFertility Website: https://wefertilityapp.com

Gina Brickey Instagram: @ginabrickey_

Sydney Brickey Instagram: @sydneybrickey94

🎧 Loved this episode?Support The Queer Family Podcast on Patreon for exclusive bonus content and help keep these stories alive!OR become a paid subscriber through our RedCircle page for bonus episodes and one-time or recurring donations: 🔗 redcircle.com/thequeerfamilypodcast/exclusive-content

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Find us on IG, TikTok, Bluesky, & YouTube: @thequeerfamilypodcast 🏳️‍🌈 Watch full episodes on YouTube

🏳️‍🌈 Order the If These Ovaries Could Talk book 

🏳️‍🌈 Edited by: Jerson Barajas 🏳️‍🌈 Theme Song by: Tiffany Topol 🏳️‍🌈 Logo by: Daneen Stevenato 

🗳️ VOTE. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ ADVOCATE. 🍼 BUILD QUEER FAMILIES.

The information shared in this episode is for educational purposes only and not a substitute for professional advice. Always consult a trusted professional for your specific situation!

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-queer-family-podcast/exclusive-content

Meghan and Erika never imagined parenthood would be part of their story. Growing up without examples of queer families—and navigating neurodivergence and fears about losing themselves in parenthood—they weren't even sure they wanted children.

Then listening to this podcast helped Meghan realize there might be another possibility.

Now they're raising their three-year-old son, Nova, with another baby on the way. They share a fertility journey that included IUIs, miscarriage, IVF, and an unexpected final vial from their dibling community.

Erika also opens up about navigating pregnancy as a butch woman—and discovering that carrying a baby didn't make her feel less connected to her identity. Quite the opposite.

As Erika puts it: “I think pregnancy is so butch.”

🏳️‍🌈 Key Takeaways

• You don’t have to have always dreamed of parenthood to become a deeply intentional parent.
• Queer family building often means staying open when the path looks nothing like the one you planned.
• Parenthood can crack you open—and give you the chance to break old cycles.
• Pregnancy doesn’t have to be inherently feminine. Erika found it could actually deepen her connection to her butch identity.
• Fertility loss can bring grief, compassion, and a new understanding of just how complex these journeys can be.
• Representation matters. Sometimes seeing another queer family is what makes imagining your own possible.

🏳️‍🌈 About the guest(s)

Meghan and Erika are a queer couple and parents to three-year-old Nova, with their second child on the way. Erika, a proud butch woman, is currently pregnant with their second child and hopes that sharing her experience can offer representation for other butch people considering pregnancy.

🏳️‍🌈 Resources Mentioned

Meghan and Erika on Instagram - Follow along on their journey

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🏳️‍🌈 What resonated most with you?

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🏳️‍🌈 Let’s Connect!

Find us on IG, TikTok, Bluesky, & YouTube: @thequeerfamilypodcast 🏳️‍🌈 Watch full episodes on YouTube

🏳️‍🌈 Order the If These Ovaries Could Talk book 

🏳️‍🌈 Edited by: Jerson Barajas 🏳️‍🌈 Theme Song by: Tiffany Topol 🏳️‍🌈 Logo by: Daneen Stevenato 

🏳️‍🌈 Shop merch here. 🏳️‍🌈 Full transcript & episode info available on our website

🗳️ VOTE. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ ADVOCATE. 🍼 BUILD QUEER FAMILIES.

The information shared in this episode is for educational purposes only and not a substitute for professional advice. Always consult a trusted professional for your specific situation!

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-queer-family-podcast/exclusive-content

What happens when you want to build a family—but have no idea where to start?

Kaelyn, known online as one half of @kaelynandveronica, joins Jaimie to share how she and her wife found their way to parenthood by doing what so many LGBTQ+ families do: looking to the families who had done it before them.

Kaelyn shares the emotional—and sometimes surprising—process of choosing a sperm donor, two years of fertility treatments before becoming pregnant with their daughter Rosie, and why having donor siblings has become such a meaningful part of their family's story. She also opens up about Veronica's experience as the non-biological mom, raising Rosie with an open understanding of donor conception, and how postpartum depression is shaping their conversations about having another child.

Plus, why Kaelyn says if she could have dinner with anyone, she'd choose Rosie's donor—just so she could say thank you.

🏳️‍🌈 Key Takeaways

• There is no single “right” way to build an LGBTQ+ family.
• Queer families often become roadmaps for the families coming behind them.
• Biology doesn't determine the depth of a parent-child bond.
• Being open about donor conception gives kids the language to understand their own stories.
• Taking care of the parent matters, too—especially when considering another pregnancy after postpartum depression.

🏳️‍🌈 About the guest(s)

Kaelyn is a social media manager, content creator, wife to Veronica, and mom to their almost-three-year-old daughter, Rosie. Through @kaelynandveronica, she shares their life as a two-mom family, from donor conception and fertility to parenting and LGBTQ+ family life. Her work also focuses on helping others navigate family building and showing more of the many ways families can be created.

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🏳️‍🌈 Order the If These Ovaries Could Talk book 

🏳️‍🌈 Edited by: Jerson Barajas 🏳️‍🌈 Theme Song by: Tiffany Topol 🏳️‍🌈 Logo by: Daneen Stevenato 

🏳️‍🌈 Shop merch here. 🏳️‍🌈 Full transcript & episode info available on our website

🗳️ VOTE. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ ADVOCATE. 🍼 BUILD QUEER FAMILIES.

The information shared in this episode is for educational purposes only and not a substitute for professional advice. Always consult a trusted professional for your specific situation!

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-queer-family-podcast/exclusive-content

Is your LGBTQ family as legally protected as you think it is?

LGBTQ+ family law attorney Rachel Levy joins Jaimie to break down the legal steps queer and trans families should know about—from confirmatory and second-parent adoption to donor agreements, estate planning, healthcare decisions, name changes, gender markers, and more.

Rachel explains why being listed on your child's birth certificate may not be enough to establish parental rights, what families using known donors should put in writing, and why finding an attorney who actually understands LGBTQ+ family law matters.

They also dig into the realities facing trans adults and parents of trans kids right now, including name changes, document updates, privacy and safety concerns, and the enormous differences in protections from state to state. And while the political climate can feel terrifying, Rachel offers an important reminder: frightening headlines don't always tell the whole legal story, and meaningful protections for LGBTQ+ families are still advancing at the state level.

This episode isn't about panic. It's about knowing your rights, asking the right questions, and taking the extra steps that can help protect the people you love.

🏳️‍🌈 Key Takeaways

• A birth certificate may not be enough to establish parental rights.
• Confirmatory adoption can offer important legal protection.
• Put known-donor agreements in writing.
• Estate planning is essential for LGBTQ+ families.
• Find an LGBTQ+-competent lawyer who practices in your state.
• Parents of trans kids should understand name-change and gender-marker laws.
• LGBTQ+ protections vary significantly from state to state.
• Scary headlines don’t always reflect what’s actually happening legally.
• There’s no single “right” way for LGBTQ+ and trans people to navigate safety.
• The Uniform Parentage Act could help standardize protections across states.

🏳️‍🌈 About the guest(s)

Rachel Levy is an attorney with Jerner Law Group, an LGBTQ+ family law firm based in Philadelphia. Her practice focuses on adoption and assisted reproductive technology (ART), estate planning, family building, and transgender legal issues, including name changes and legal affirmation. Rachel is passionate about helping LGBTQ+ families understand their rights and take the legal steps needed to protect themselves and their children.

🏳️‍🌈 Resources Mentioned

Website: www.jernerlaw.com

Jerner Law’s LGBTQ+ Resources Hub: www.jernerlaw.com/lgbtq-resources/

Instagram: @jernerlawgroup

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🏳️‍🌈 Let’s Connect!

Find us on IG, TikTok, Bluesky, & YouTube: @thequeerfamilypodcast 🏳️‍🌈 Watch full episodes on YouTube

🏳️‍🌈 Order the If These Ovaries Could Talk book 

🏳️‍🌈 Edited by: Jerson Barajas 🏳️‍🌈 Theme Song by: Tiffany Topol 🏳️‍🌈 Logo by: Daneen Stevenato 

🏳️‍🌈 Shop merch here. 🏳️‍🌈 Full transcript & episode info available on our website

🗳️ VOTE. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ ADVOCATE. 🍼 BUILD QUEER FAMILIES.

The information shared in this episode is for educational purposes only and not a substitute for professional advice. Always consult a trusted professional for your specific situation!

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-queer-family-podcast/exclusive-content

What happens when three people intentionally choose to build a family together?

Vikram Kolmannskog is a psychotherapist, writer, and dad raising his four-year-old son with his husband, Daniel, and their son's mother, Cecilia. From finding each other through a queer family forum to navigating home insemination, biology, and the realities of three-parent co-parenting, their path to family is anything but traditional.

Vikram and Jaimie talk about the messy reality of parenting, biological vs. non-biological connection, the pressure to identify the "real" dad, and the deeply ingrained gender roles that still tell us mothers should nurture while fathers should provide.

It's a conversation about rupture and repair, challenging the rules we've inherited, and what queer families can teach us about what really makes someone a parent.

Because family isn't biology. It's love, commitment—and sometimes a whole lot of mess.

🏳️‍🌈 Key Takeaways

• Why Vikram and Daniel chose intentional co-parenting
• Finding their child's mother through a queer family forum
• The very queer logistics of making a baby together
• Navigating three-parent co-parenting when reality didn't match the plan
• Biology, non-biological parenting, and the idea of the "real" parent
• Why their family kept biological paternity private for the first year
• The gendered expectations placed on mothers and fathers
• Breastfeeding, formula, and the pressure placed on parents
• How therapy helped their family move through conflict and repair
• Why "messy" has become one of Vikram's favorite words for parenting

🏳️‍🌈 About the guest(s)

Vikram Kolmannskog is the author of Reflections on Parenting from a Gestalt Therapist Father: Life with Leo, a personal exploration of his first years of parenthood.

🏳️‍🌈 Resources Mentioned

Vikram’s Website

Vikram’s Instagram

Vikram’s Book 

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