seminars

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Our Family Coalition & Men Having Babies present:


2018 SF Surrogacy Conference, Jan 13-14

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PLATINUM SPONSOR
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GOLD SPONSORS
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SILVER SPONSORS
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BRONZE SPONSORS
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Expanded two-day ”how-to" parenting program
Parent, surrogate and egg donor testimonies
20 Gay Parenting Services Exhibitors
Twenty-four "meet the sponsor" breakout sessions
Panel on insurance and budgeting
On-site consultations available with clinics and agencies
Medical, psychological, and legal experts
Unbiased information & resources focused on surrogacy solutions

The San Francisco Surrogacy Conference & Expo returns in 2018 with surrogacy parenting options in both the USA and Canada!


Our 5th annual West Coast Men Having Babies conference will be held once again at the spacious and well positioned Marines’ Memorial Club and Hotel. The conference brings together community activists, medical and legal experts, parents and surrogate mothers. Prospective parents will benefit from practical and personal peer advice and opportunities to meet a wide range of leading providers from the USA and Canada at the Gay Parenting Expo, breakout sessions and in private consultations. In-depth programs will offer insights from the latest studies about contemporary gestational surrogacy in the United States, and specialty panels on insurance, budgeting, legal, medical and psychological aspects of surrogacy.

For the first time the conference will also offer content for Chinese prospective parents who are interested in learning how to work directly with USA and Canadian providers, avoiding the financial and ethical disadvantages of using additional layers of intermediaries.

The conference is based on a format MHB developed over the last 13 years in NY, Chicago, Dallas, Barcelona, Brussels and Tel Aviv. Proceeds from sponsorship and exhibiting fees will benefit the Gay Parenting Assistance Program and Our Family Coalition.

Note: while the event is organized by gay parenting organizations, non-gay prospective surrogacy parents are welcome and will no doubt highly benefit from it as well.
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When...
January 13, 2018: 3:30-8:00 PM, January 14: 9:00 AM-6:30 PM. See below for more information.
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Where...
The conference will take place at Marines’ Memorial Club & Hotel,
609 Sutter Street, San Francisco.
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Hotel information…
Attendees can benefit from special group rates for hotel accommodations at the Marines’ Memorial Club & Hotel.
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Registration...
Admission for both days is $20 per person in advance ($25 at the door - space permitting) and will include lunch and a receptions.

We strongly encourage advance registration for both days - past events have sold out.

Agenda in brief


(more details here)

Saturday, January 13:
• 3:00 - 3:30pm: Registration
• 3:30 - 4:45pm: Is surrogacy right for you? Overview and personal stories - hear from several surrogates and parents
• 4:45 - 5:00pm: Coffee Break
• 5:00 - 6:15pm: A mindful look at surrogacy - Attitudes and Ethics.
• 6:15 - 6:45pm: Break/ light supper (courtesy of International Surrogacy Center)
• 6:45 - 8:00pm: Planning your parenting journey - major legal, medical and financial considerations

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Optional social activities:

• 8:00pm: Parents / Intended Parents’ Happy Hour
• 9:00pm: A screening of the acclaimed gay surrogacy movie "Baby Steps,” and a discussion with Barney Cheng, the director and star of the movie.

Sunday, January 14:
• 8:30 - 9:00am: Registration
• 9:00 - 10:15am: Picking providers, budgeting and financial assistance (GPAP)
• 10:15 - 10:30am: coffee break
• 10:30 - 11:45am: Expert panel: Medical aspects of surrogacy.
• 11:45am -1:15pm: Lunch (courtesy of San Diego Fertility Center) and gay parenting expo (tables of surrogacy agencies, clinics, lawyers and community organizations).
• 1:15 - 2:30pm: Expert panel: Budgeting and insurance
• 2:30 - 4:30pm: Breakout sessions - learn more about participating surrogacy providers.
• 3:00 - 8:00pm: Optional private consultations
• 4:30 - 5:30pm: Networking reception & gay parenting expo.
• 5:30 - 6:30pm: Specialty sessions:
- Expert legal panel
- Life After Birth: Resources and Family Support Services with Our Family Coalition
- The Gay Parenting Assistance Program (GPAP) - Q&A

Supportive Community & Media Organizations

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About Our Family Coalition


OurFamiliyCoalition
For over twenty years, Our Family Coalition has worked to advance equity for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) families with children through support, education, and advocacy. Fortified by strong partnerships with our allies, and guided by community-based leadership, we seek to create an inclusive and just world where all LGBTQ families with children can see families like theirs reflected in the culture around them, and enjoy abundant opportunity to thrive as valued participants in our schools, institutions, and communities. We build community, increase understanding, and deepen social justice in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond.

Are you a parent or intended parent through surrogacy? Are you a surrogate? Are you an egg donor? Help us advance our understanding of surrogacy!

“The Surrogacy Pathways: An Anthropological Analysis” looks to examine the journey of all the subjects involved in these experiences: egg donors, surrogates and intended parents. Especially, the research focuses on a comparison between the expectations and reality before and after the delivery and on the negotiation of the relatedness (Carsten, 2004) between parties.

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The research is led by Corinna S. Guerzoni, a Ph.D. in Cultural and Social Anthropology, who will present the project at the conference. She is a Professor in Anthropology at Istituto Europeo di Design (Italy) and a Postdoctoral Researcher at Western Fertility Institute (California). In 2016, Dr. Guerzoni was a Visiting Researcher at San Diego State University, Department of Women’s Studies.