Our Second Year at CampOut Family Camp


By Frank Golden

It’s official: I love camp. Last year, Adam and I took our family to CampOut Family Camp, a camp for LGBTQ Families. We had the time of our lives, and decided to do it all over again this year. It was the same amazing experience: the activities, the counselors, the campfires, the joy. This time, however, we were amongst familiar faces, faces we saw last year, faces we have gotten to know. Attending an LGBTQ camp is enough to make you feel like part of a community, but this year, we were part of the CampOut community, and we were honored to be included.

CampOut Family Camp is a summer camp experience for LGBTQ Families. This year, CampOut took place from August 17th- August 20th. During the rest of the summer, the camp grounds are used to accommodate hundreds of children in an overnight camp program lasting two, four, or eight weeks. My husband, Adam attended the camp for eight years when he was child. For Adam, attending CampOut was a mix of new experiences and nostalgia. He remembered the camp grounds and the fun he had, and now as an adult and as a gay man, he got the opportunity to experience the same fun with his family.

Last year, our first year at CampOut, the entire experience was a whirlwind. I was overwhelmed with the idea of being surrounded by other LGBTQ Families. I was enthralled with the idea of attending camp for the very first time – as a child, I never went to camp. I was excited, overjoyed, and anxious to get familiar with the camp experience. This year, I returned to camp as an experience camper; I was prepared for the entire camp experience, and as a result, I was able to savor every activity, every moment. I am not an outdoorsy person. You won’t find me “roughing it” in the woods. You won’t find me hunting, fishing, or hiking on a regular basis. However, for one weekend a year, I transform into a person who loves it all. I love the water activities, the crafts, the campfires. I love the dirt, the sweat, and the smell of nature. Read more

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Our Second Year at CampOut Family Camp – Episode 21

Golden Gossip

CampOut is an overnight camp for LGBT families, hosted by the Lake of the Woods & Greenwoods Camp located in Decatur, Michigan. CampOut experienced its third year of family fun August 17th-20th. Frank and Adam Golden, founders of Golden Surrogacy, took their children to CampOut for a their second year and came back with plenty of stories to share! In this episode of Golden Gossip, Frank and Adam discuss camp activities, meeting other gay families, and their children’s perspectives of this amazing family building event.

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Fertility Centers of Illinois: Nurse’s Perspective – Episode 7

Kelly Del Valle, of Fertility Centers of Illinois, pays Golden Surrogacy a visit to discuss her role as a Third Party Reproduction Coordinator. In this segment of Golden Gossip, Kelly offers advice to Surrogates and Intended Parents. She addresses infertility struggles, IVF treatment options, and the best parts of her job in this very special family building industry. Golden Surrogacy is proud to be a valued resource to the Fertility Centers of Illinois Collaborative Reproduction team!

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I’m a Golden Surrogate – Episode 5

Frank and Golden Surrogate, Bridget

The truth behind being a Surrogate. Media’s depiction of Surrogacy is not indicative of what Surrogacy actually is. Two-time Golden Surrogate/Gestational Carrier tells us what Surrogacy is really like. In this episode of Golden Gossip, Bridget shares personal details about her Surrogacy Journeys, In Vitro Fertilization, pregnancy, and what else to expect throughout the process.

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South Australia Gives Same-Sex Couples Access To IVF and Unpaid Surrogacy

By: Star Observer, Matthew Wade

A bill allowing equal access to assisted reproductive treatment and unpaid surrogacy for same-sex couples has been passed in the South Australian parliament.

The passage of the bill removes the last legal discrimination against LGBTI people from the statute books of the state.

Previously, only South Australia and the Northern Territory required those accessing assisted reproductive technology to be ‘medically infertile’, a requirement other states didn’t impose.

Lee Carnie from the Human Rights Law Centre said the fact the bill passed was a huge step forward for equality for LGBTI people in South Australia.

Read more

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Women who undergo IVF treatment within 21 days of clocks going forward are TWICE as likely to miscarry

By: Daily Mirror, Abigail O’Leary

Putting the clocks forward in spring doubles the number of miscarriages in women who have undergone IVF treatment, according to new research.

Scientists found the chances of miscarrying were twice as high if the clocks changed within 21 days of an embryo being implanted.

The loss of an extra hour of sleep was found to cause additional stress and anxiety to women in the very early stages of pregnancy .

Read more

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You Won’t Believe What Baby-Making Science Could Soon Deliver

By: NBC News, Joseph Bennington-Castro

In 1978, Louise Brown helped usher in a reproductive revolution when she became the first “test tube baby,” or child born from in vitro fertilization (IVF). This technique provided a means to sidestep various infertility causes, such as ovulation disorders and fallopian tube issues in women, and decreased sperm count and motility in men.

Now, the world is on the brink of another revolution thanks to an emerging technology called in vitro gametogenesis, or IVG, which would allow doctors to develop eggs and sperm from a surprising source: skin cells. These reproductive cells could then be used to create fertilized embryos to be implanted into a woman’s uterus (or, someday, an artificial womb).

The potential impact of IVG on reproduction — and society at large — is staggering. Infertility may become a thing of the past. Same-sex couples could have children that are biologically related to both parents. And the world may eventually see children born with a single genetic parent or more than two genetic parents.

Read more

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The Benefits of Infertility Coverage for You and Your Employer

By: Huffington Post, Dr. David Adamson

How family friendly is your workplace? It depends on your perspective. If you and your partner are among the 1 in 8 American couples facing infertility, you’d give your employer a high score if they offered a benefit package that covers treatment for infertility services. After all, it’s the employer that decides your benefits, not an insurance company.

According to the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP), 24% of employers surveyed now offer some level of fertility services as part of their health care benefits. If you work for a large American company – with more than 500 employees – you’re more likely to have some type of infertility benefit than if you’re employed by a small or mid-size company.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 17% of women aged 25-44, and 9.4% of men the same age, sought treatment for their infertility. Infertility is defined as a medical disease and has evidence-based treatments including ovarian stimulation, other medications, surgery, artificial insemination (IUI) and Advanced Reproductive Technology (ART) such as in-vitro fertilization (IVF).

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New bill would require insurance companies to offer coverage for fertility treatments

By: FOX 59, Anae Howard

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — One in eight women struggle with infertility. There’s help available like in vitro fertilization, but not all families can afford the pricey services. A state representative has introduced a new bill to change that, and a local woman’s public fertility fight helped inspire the measure.

Representative Robin Shackleford introduced House Bill 1059 which would require insurance companies to offer coverage for fertility treatments at the very minimum.

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Assemblyman pushes bill for LGBT foster youth protection

By: Reno Gazette-Journal, Seth A. Richardson

A Las Vegas assemblyman is trying to give children in government care the right to choose their gender.

The bill marks a diversion from much of the national debate over transgender rights, especially in states like North Carolina and Texas where conservative lawmakers have sought to require transgender people to use the assigned bathrooms of their biological sex.

Under Assembly Bill 99 from Assistant Assembly Majority Leader Nelson Araujo, D-Las Vegas, children in state foster care facilities would be able to identify as the gender of their preference. It would also mandate ongoing training on working with LGBT youth. The Division of Children and Family Services would also be required to set up a placement process to find foster families compatible with LGBT youth and in juvenile detention facilities based on their preferred sex. A way for foster children to file grievances would also be set up by DCFS.

Read more

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