It’s hard enough to be a parent without having to fight for your right to exist as one. For Father’s Day, we’re honoring the dads who paved the way with us to show the world that being a parent takes many forms. Whether they’re showing their children that a family with two dads is something to celebrate or advocating for accurate birth certificates, these queer fathers prove that their identity is something to cherish and defend.
Christopher Inniss and Shelton Stroman
In 2014, the state of Georgia denied Christopher and Shelton a marriage license — so they teamed up with Lambda Legal to fight against this discriminatory marriage ban. The motivation behind their decision to go public against that law? Their son Jonathan. Christopher and Shelton wanted to show their son the importance of standing up for yourself in the face of bias and discrimination. The next year, the Supreme Court voted 5-4 in favor of marriage equality in Obergefell v. Hodges, allowing couples like Christopher and Shelton finally to be married.
David Dinan and Vikranth (“Vik”) Gongidi
David, Vik, and their two elementary school-aged children live in Florida, where they enjoy being involved parents at their son’s school. However, when Florida enacted House Bill 1557, also known as the “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” law, the family had to self-censor themselves for fear of questions from classmates or a teacher struggling to explain. The law chilled teachers from answering questions by classmates about family structure and from protecting students from bullying for having two dads. David and Vik joined our lawsuit against this discriminatory law so they can celebrate their family openly and proudly.
Myles Brady-Davis
When Myles and his partner Precious welcomed their first child in 2019, their dream of starting a family became a reality. However, that joy was quickly complicated when they had to seek immediate assistance to issue an accurate birth certificate. Myles, who is trans masculine, and Precious, a transgender woman, were concerned that they would be misgendered on their child’s birth certificate, which would compromise their family’s safety. On their behalf, Lambda Legal sent an advocacy letter to the state of Illinois to correctly reflect their gender identities on the birth certificate. Myles and Precious were the first couple to raise this issue with the state and were able to ensure the birth certificate accurately reflected their family.