(photo courtesy of oprah.com)

GAY DADS TO APPEAR ON "OPRAH" JANUARY 29

Gay Dads on Oprah part of Family Pride's OUTSpoken Families Speakers Bureau

Media contact:
Cathy Renna: 917.757.6123, cathy@rennacommunications.com
Syd Peterson: 917,621.6411, syd@rennacommunications.com

January 24, 2007-- WASHINGTON, DC-- Family Pride announced today that the January 29th episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" will feature a gay-headed family trained by Family Pride. The episode, titled "Extraordinary Families," will air on Monday, January 29 and features the Sutherland-Trevino family from San Antonio, Texas. The show includes an on-air interview with the family of eight and also footage shot at the Sutherland-Trevino home.

"We decided to go on 'Oprah' because we wanted to show a real family and give real facts about an issue that everybody seems to have an opinion about - gay families," said Mark Sutherland-Trevino. Mark and his significant other, Andy Sutherland-Trevino, traveled to Chicago for the 'Oprah' taping with their five children and great-niece. "We're like any other family, except that because our family does not have automatic legal status, we have to go to extraordinary measures to protect each other and our children. As gay fathers, Andy and I understand that protecting our children is the most important thing we can do as parents and local politicians continue to try to ban lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people from adopting kids or being foster parents." The Sutherland-Trevinos plan to become caregivers to a seventh child this month, a nephew of Mark's.

The Sutherland-Trevino family is part of Family Pride's OUTSpoken Families program. OUTSpoken Families is a national speakers bureau; participants work to change the way LGBTQ parents are talked about and treated. To date, Family Pride has trained over 650 parents and their allies from numerous U.S. states and 3 countries to tell their family stories and provide credible, indisputable information about LGBTQ families.

"The story of the Sutherland-Trevino family will reach more than seven million 'Oprah' viewers, serving as an excellent example of what an LGBTQ-headed family can look like," said Family Pride Executive Director Jennifer Chrisler, who accompanied the Sutherland-Trevinos to Chicago. "What's notable is that the show's focus was 'Extraordinary Families,' not 'Gay Families.' Like all loving parents, LGBTQ parents want to protect our children, provide them with loving stable home environments, and experience the joy of family. This show helps illustrate that love makes a family."

Mark & Andy Sutherland-Trevino and Jennifer Chrisler are available for interviews; for further information, please contact Syd Peterson at Renna Communications.

For more information on Family Pride's OUTSpoken Families, please see: http://www.familypride.org/OUTSpoken.html

Family Pride is the national non-profit organization committed to securing family equality for all loving families, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer parents, guardians and allies. Keep informed by joining our eNews today!