Donor Conception, Pride & Intentional Parenting

Jaimie sits down with therapist, author, podcaster, and donor conception expert Lisa Schuman. Lisa turns the mic on Jaimie as they explore the origins of The Queer Family Podcast, the emotional realities of donor conception, the fears many queer parents carry around biological connection, and why queer families are some of the most intentional families out there. They also discuss humor, resilience, Pride, and the importance of showing up for the entire LGBTQIA+ community right now.

They also discuss:

• LGBTQIA+ family building
• Donor conception
• Non-biological parenting
• Infertility in queer families
• The emotional realities of donor conception
• Bonding with children as a non-bio parent
• Queer parenting and intentionality
• Talking to kids about donor conception
• Humor and normalization in queer households
• The current political climate for LGBTQIA+ families
• Trans rights and queer community solidarity
• Second-parent adoption and legal protections

🏳️‍🌈 Key Takeaways

• Queer families are some of the most intentional families out there.
• The emotional realities of non-bio parenting deserve to be talked about openly and without shame.
• Infertility can impact queer families too — and it can feel incredibly isolating without representation.
• Biological connection does not define the strength of a parent-child bond.
• Bonding with a child is not always instant, even for biological parents.
• Humor can be a powerful tool for normalizing donor conception and queer family structures for kids.
• Representation and storytelling matter deeply for LGBTQIA+ people navigating family building.
• Today’s political climate is creating real fear for many LGBTQIA+ families, especially trans and nonbinary people.
• Legal protections like second-parent adoption remain critically important.
• Pride is not just celebration — it is resilience, visibility, advocacy, and community care.

🏳️‍🌈 About the guest(s)

Lisa Schuman is a therapist, author, adoption and donor conception expert, and the founder of the Center for Family Building. She is the co-author of Building Your Family: The Complete Guide to Donor Conception and host of the podcast Building Your Family with Lisa Schuman. Lisa has spent decades helping individuals and couples navigate infertility, donor conception, adoption, and the emotional complexities of family building.

🏳️‍🌈 Thanks to our sponsors

California Cryobank Use code QUEERFAM26 for a free level 3 subscription to their donor catalogue!

🏳️‍🌈 Resources Mentioned

• Lisa’s website: The Center For Family Building
• https://familybuilding.net/

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