Corey Allen, a former Secret Service agent and current future dad on a surrogacy journey shares his experience of leading a double life while working in law enforcement and the challenges he faced as a gay man. He also discusses his surrogacy journey, including the setbacks and the decision to use two surrogates. Corey highlights the financial and legal obstacles that LGBTQ+ families often encounter and the importance of sharing stories to create awareness and promote change. Tune in for an inspiring and informative conversation.This is an essential listen for anyone in the LGBTQIA community considering family life, as well as for allies seeking understanding and connection. Stay tuned for more enlightening content from the Queer Family podcast that celebrates, uplifts, and normalizes diverse family narratives.?️‍?Thanks to ⁠Pregnant Together⁠, My Donor Story, ⁠⁠⁠Our Shelves⁠⁠⁠ (code QUEERFAM) and our ⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠ supporters.?️‍?Interested in advertising? Check out our packages ⁠⁠⁠here.⁠⁠⁠?️‍?Key Takeaways:?️‍? Corey Allen shares his experience of living a double life as a closeted Secret Service agent, the eventual coming out, and his personal journey to find love and start a family. Corey and his fiance Johnny's path to parenthood includes navigating the surrogacy journey with its emotional, financial, and logistical challenges.The importance of genetic connection in surrogacy decisions is discussed, as is the strategic choice to use both partners' DNA with the same egg donor.There is an emphasis on the legal complexities and discrimination against LGBTQIA+ families in the surrogacy process, including the lack of insurance coverage and the necessity for second-parent adoption.Corey's advocacy work and his book "Breaking Free" spotlight the need for broader awareness and support for queer families.?️‍?Quotes:?️‍?"There were red flags that our agency didn't pick up on, or they should have." - Cory?️‍?About The Guest(s)?️‍?Corey Allen is a former Secret Service agent with a compelling story to share about his life and experiences. He has served in law enforcement as a police officer and has provided protection for high-profile figures including the Obamas. Corey has also authored the book "Breaking Free," where he shares his saga of self-discovery as a gay Secret Service agent. Currently, he's an advocate for LGBTQIA+ family building.?️‍?Resources mentioned in the episode: CoryAllenBooks.com https://www.coryallenbooks.com/Instagram, Facebook?️‍?If you like the episode, make sure to leave us a review and support The Queer Family Podcast on⁠⁠⁠ Patreon ⁠⁠⁠for as low as $2/month!?️‍?We want to hear from you! Call us: 646-470-1840 ⁠⁠⁠thequeerfamilypodcast.com⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠thequeerfamilypodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠IG⁠⁠⁠/⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠/⁠⁠⁠FB⁠⁠⁠/⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠/⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠: @thequeerfamilypodcast?️‍?Watch Video Episodes right now on ⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠ and on ⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠?️‍?Order the #ITOCT book based on this podcast on ⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠IndieBound⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Audible⁠⁠⁠.?️‍?Edited by Jerson Barajas. Theme song: ⁠⁠⁠Tiffany Topol⁠⁠⁠\ Logo art: Daneen Stevenato.?️‍?Buy our merch ⁠⁠⁠here.⁠⁠⁠?️‍?For a full transcript of this episode and more info about the host visit our ⁠⁠⁠websiteAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy