They Wanted to Be Treated Like Any Other Family. At Adoption & Beyond, They Were.

LGBTQ+ Adoption Story: An Agency That Welcomed Them

Derek and Richard knew they wanted a family. They sat down with an attorney early on, mapped out every option – surrogacy, foster care, domestic adoption – and did what they always do: their homework.

As a same-sex couple, they also did something a lot of families don’t have to think about: they checked which agencies would actually treat them with the same respect as anyone else.

“A lot of agencies are very faith-based, which is fine,” Derek said. “It just meant we were concerned we could potentially be discriminated against. So it was important to get a recommendation and do our research.” A trusted friend who had adopted two children made the call easy: Adoption & Beyond.

“Steffany is extremely thorough. She helped us along the way, never judged us, and was great to work with.”

From the first interaction, they felt it. No hesitation. No qualifiers. Just the same process, the same warmth, the same level of care they watched other families receive.

Their daughter Avery’s birth mother came into the process with a grace that still moves them both when they talk about it. Adoption was already part of her family’s story – her grandmother was adopted – and she approached the placement with openness and warmth that made everything feel natural. They text. They share pictures. She came for Christmas cookie-making. She’ll be at Avery’s first birthday party.

The 48 hours before placement – when Avery’s birth mother had asked for private time at the hospital – were the hardest. Derek and Richard waited at home, not knowing what the final decision would be. The adoption education training had prepared them for exactly this moment. It didn’t make it easy. It made it survivable.

When the call came, and they rushed to the hospital, Avery needed to be changed. Derek did it. First diaper. First moment of ordinary, extraordinary parenthood. “Seeing her and knowing she is ours,” Richard said. “And feeling in that moment our birth mom being supportive of that – it felt good.”

Richard added one more thing – for any parent who doesn’t bond instantly. He didn’t. Derek did, immediately. Richard took a few weeks. “I didn’t not love her. It just didn’t come instantly. And now I think about her all day, every day. If you don’t bond right away, that’s okay. When it comes, it comes full force.”

They trusted the process. They trusted the agency. They got comfortable with not knowing. And Avery came home.