And Baby Makes More : Known Donors, Queer Parents, and Our Unexpected Families

What happens when would-be dyke moms or gay dads ask a friend or acquaintance to donate sperm or an egg, or to act as a surrogate? What's the difference between being a donor and being a parent? What happens to non-biological parents when a known donor is also part of the picture? When and how does biology count — or does it? Why do parents choose known donors, and what happens if things get ugly? And what does all this mean for queer families already facing extraordinary social pressures? A quirky, funny, and occasionally heartbreaking collection of personal essays, this book offers an intimate look at the relative risks and unexpected rewards of queer, do-it-yourself baby-making, and the ways in which families are re-made in the process. The contributors — donors, biological and non-bio parents, and their children — offer provocative, nuanced insights into what it means to be or to use a known donor, and how queer families are being re-conceived to include new roles, new rules, and kinship ties that transcend biology.