Surrogacy in the LGBTQ+ Community

In honor of Pride Week and National Coming Out Day (October 11), we would like to continue to show our support for the LGBTQ+ Community. 

As a LGBTQ+ individual or couple, becoming a parent through surrogacy can seem daunting. Working with an agency can help make the process much easier. At Hawaii Surrogacy Center, we have more than a decade of experience building families through surrogacy for the LGBTQ+ community.  You become part of our ohana, so we care for you as ohana. 

An important step of your surrogacy journey is matching you with the right surrogate.  All of our surrogates go through background checks, lifestyle and medical screening and psychological evaluations to ensure they are qualified to become surrogates, and before any profile is ever presented to parents.  And we never match a surrogate who has different values than your family.  Intended parents as well as surrogates are encouraged to think carefully about and openly communicate their preferences to us. 

Surrogate Prizzilla shares, “When I decided to become a surrogate, I wanted to make sure I was helping with something close to my heart. I was looking for intended parents from the LGBTQ+ community because I knew the discrimination they face when it comes to parenthood, and I wanted to make sure if they’re pursing surrogacy, that they would be a priority. I asked to give ‘first dibs’ on my body and allow IPs from the community to jump the waitlist instead of hoping for a surrogate who’d just be “okay” with carrying for them.”

When a match is right from the start, lifetime relationships and bonds are formed. For Prizzilla, she knew immediately that the first set of parents presented to her were the perfect match. 

“The first IPs I was shown was a gay couple who had uprooted their lives 10 years ago in preparation for surrogacy, but their plans kept falling through. I read their story and felt I was called to help them. We met over Skype, talked about parenting styles, their plans for the future, and I immediately knew we were the perfect match.” 

They still keep in contact, sending photos and baby updates.  “They were the best intended parents you could ask for; extremely supportive, allowed me to share my journey. I adore them, and will always consider them family.”

In addition to facilitating a healthy relationship with your surrogate, an experienced agency can help families navigate legal and financial complexities associated with a surrogacy journey.  Hawaii is a surrogacy-friendly state.  So even if you are a same-sex couple, both of your names can go on the birth certificate.  It doesn’t matter who is the biological parent – we are able to do the legal parentage work to give both parents equal rights to their child.

When it comes to finances, Hawaii Surrogacy works hard to make surrogacy affordable for all families.  The cost does vary and with a same-sex couple that needs either an egg donor or sperm donor, you’re looking at a total journey cost of around $100,000.  Some expenses may be covered by your insurance or employer benefit plans, but usually not much.  So Hawaii Surrogacy has a comprehensive financial advising program available that is totally free of charge.  Our advisors have been able to find grants and special discount programs, many of which are focused on helping build LGBTQ+ families. 

If you would like more information on starting your surrogacy journey, please connect with us by email at information@hawaiisurrogacy.com.