We had another post planned for this week. A post that is more in line with our monthly focus of fatherhood and partners, but then, Orlando. And with it, we feel the need to reiterate our commitment to being a supportive, safe and affirming place for all families. 

Straight families. Gay families. Queer families. Adoptive families. Surrogacy families. Foster families. Transgender families. We welcome you all with loving, kind and compassionate support that meets you where you are.  

As Lin-Manuel Miranda said recently, “Love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love” and we firmly believe that love makes a family.

And we don’t just say that lightly. We live it, each and every day, at Emerald Doulas. Here’s how we put our inclusivity to practice:

In addition to our LGBTQ New Parents Group, our New Moms and New Dads groups each feature a sentence at the end of their descriptions.

“This group, like all of our groups, is trans-inclusive and open to anyone who identifies as a mother (or father).”

It’s just a few words but it proclaims our commitment to welcoming all parents, no matter how you identify. 

Speaking of welcoming everyone, our office (and practice) is a gender-neutral space. 

Our restroom? It’s for all genders. 

So is our lactation practice. Our IBCLC, Victoria Facelli, provides Triangle families with one of the only (if not THE ONLY) gender-neutral practices in the area, and has a specialized focus on helping non-gestational parents meet their infant feeding goals. Whether you’re breastfeeding or chest-feeding, bottle feeding or planning for something in between, she’ll give you goals-based support, without any judgment or assumptions about your family or your family’s needs.  

Our workshop registration forms, client information forms, and websites all use gender-neutral language, because families come in all shapes and sizes. Some families have a mother and a father, and some have two mothers and some have neither. 

We ask all the questions. Sometimes even the really awkward ones. That’s because we’d rather be awkward than offensive. Questions about which pronouns you’d like us to use, how you refer to parts of your body, what you’re hoping your baby will call you some day. We’ll follow your lead with the language you prefer in order to make you feel comfortable and included by our team. 

Oh, and our team? The majority of us has been through a dedicated training to help us better understand and meet the unique needs of LGBTQ+ families and provide everyone with compassionate and affirming support. If you’re a birth professional reading this, you too can bring this training to your own team. Contact us to learn how. 

After tragedies like Orlando, we feel that the time is now, more than ever, for businesses (big and small) to articulate and explicitly outline all of the ways that we are allies for our LGBTQ community members.

We will not stand in silence and be a part of a culture of discrimination and hate. 

To our LGBTQ families: We see you. We love you just as you are. And, we welcome you with open arms.