GWK Academy, which for several years has offered community, education, and resources to queer men considering parenthood, is becoming a nonprofit and expanding to serve prospective parents of all LGBTQ+ identities.
Founder Brian Rosenberg, executive director and head coach, officially announced the moves on April 3. “By becoming a non-profit, we can expand our reach, deepen our impact, and ensure that financial barriers never stand in the way of anyone accessing the critical support they need,” he explained.
GWK Academy had originally launched in 2022 as a spin-off from Gays With Kids, an online community and resource for queer men that Rosenberg, a dad of three, had founded in 2014. In an interview with me last July, Rosenberg shared that the idea for GWK Academy came about when he realized that simply providing visibility and inspiration for gay and queer dads wasn’t enough. He instead “really wanted to provide a tangible and valuable service” around family creation. When we spoke, he mentioned plans for expanding to serve the wider LGBTQ+ community, and I’m glad to see that’s come to fruition. He elaborated in the official announcement:
No matter your identity or the path you choose, we are here to guide you. We are one of the only organizations that covers all family-building options, including biological and adoptive pathways. Whether you are considering surrogacy, IVF, IUI, adoption, or foster care, GWK Academy is committed to ensuring you have the information and support you need to make the best choice for your family.
Last year, GWK Academy became free to join and remains so. Rosenberg told me last year that he hopes LGBTQ+ people will use it as a first stop to “get educated” if they are thinking about parenthood. Topics covered include the various paths available, costs, timeframes, types of organizations people will need to work with, which ones are LGBTQ+ competent, and more.
GWK Academy also offers personal coaching with either Rosenberg or with licensed midwife Marea Goodman, GWK Academy’s biological family-building coach. Goodman, a parent of three, is the founder of PregnantTogether, a virtual community for queer and solo parents and parents-to-be, and co-author of the terrific Baby Making for Everybody: Family Building and Fertility for LGBTQ+ and Solo Parents. I also interviewed Goodman last year, and am thrilled that they are now working with GWK Academy.
I hope you’ll go read my interview with Rosenberg for more on GWK Academy’s origins and his own family-building story, then go check out GWK Academy itself. I’m excited to see how it will grow even further in the days ahead—and even more excited to learn of the families it will help create.