New data from London Women’s Clinic shows that about half of all surrogacy cycles at at their fertility clinic now involve same-sex male parents. Many use donor eggs sourced through the clinic’s licensed egg bank. These figures show how LGBTQ+ family-building has moved from the margins to the mainstream. The laws governing it remain rooted in the past.
Building LGBTQ+ families
LWC has been running for over 40 years. The clinic has helped create over 40,000 babies across 17 locations in England and Wales.
In the past year, London Women’s Clinic guided more than 200 families on surrogacy journeys. Of the 156 babies born – including seven sets of twins – about half were born to same-sex male parents. In all but one case, the birth surrogates stayed in contact with the families they helped. Most report frequent and lasting relationships. One surrogate has helped three different families, a rare act of generosity that shows this community at its best.
The event will take place at the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in Covent Garden. It follows packed shows in Brighton, Bristol, and Newcastle. This is their most ambitious event to date.
Surrogacy in the UK
In February 2026, Surrogacy UK published a landmark report calling urgently for legislative change to bring surrogacy law “in line with modern social realities.” Within weeks, the Government confirmed it would not prioritise a Surrogacy Bill, leaving families to navigate rules that have barely changed in four decades.
Under current law in England and Wales, the surrogate is the legal parent at birth. Intended parents must wait months—sometimes over a year—for a parental order transferring legal parenthood. For same-sex couples, neither partner may have formal parental rights over their child in the critical first weeks of its life.
LGBTQ+ people still face NHS barriers that straight couples do not. Same-sex couples and single women may be required to fund up to six private rounds of IUI before qualifying for even one NHS-funded IVF cycle. This is a costly hurdle with no equivalent for heterosexual couples.
Jake Graf, award-winning filmmaker, and with his wife Hannah became one of the first transgender couples in the UK to have a baby via surrogacy, explained: “There are so many unknowns when it comes to navigating paths to parenthood – especially for LGBTQIA families, this is why events such as this are so important. The Familymakers Show exists to cut through this complexity – offering real, expert-led guidance in one accessible space and providing an opportunity to hear honest accounts from those who have been through the process – something that can prove invaluable for anyone on this journey. Without the FamilyMakers team, we quite simply wouldn’t be parents to two amazing little people.’
All images supplied.
