Gay Fathers and Husbands of Ohio Support Group

If you’re a gay or bi-sexual man who has been in relationships with women – you’re not alone. Gay Fathers and Husbands understands … and maybe we can help each other.

You are not alone...we understand.

The Gay Fathers and Husbands group is an informal association of gay and bi-sexual men who may have in common current or past marriages or partnered relationships with women. Some individuals may have natural or adopted children from these relationships. Members of the Gay Fathers and Husbands group meet monthly to discuss issues and needs held in common, and to offer support to one another by sharing experiences, encouragement, and hope. Friends and supporters are normally welcome at the meetings, and guests may be invited to address special topics. The group determines the purpose and direction of meetings. Attendance will range from as few as 8 to as many as 30 or more. Meetings are casual – no dues. GFAH has been meeting in the Akron Area since 1990.

"Live your life so that your children can tell their children that you not only stood for something wonderful-you acted on it." --Dan Zadra Gay Fathers & Husbands of Ohio

Our group attempts to:

• Provide a support and communications network for gay fathers;
  
• Encourage cooperative action in promoting the common interests of gay fathers and their families;
  
• Provide opportunities for social interaction between gay fathers, their children, and friends;
  
• Promote and sponsor activities that present a positive image of gay fathers and to encourage acceptance of alternative parenting.

Participants come from all over NE Ohio and Western PA. Members represent all ages, jobs, backgrounds and stages of life -- including young men with newborns to older men with grandchildren ... and some participants have no children. Some men are married or separated or divorced. GFAH is not a dating club or a religious group. Being "out" is not a requirement for participating at meetings, and all members agree to respect the privacy of individuals who attend the meetings.

"A Note from Dennis" Wow, I stumbled across ‘Gay Fathers & Husbands of Ohio’ on the Internet, when searching on Google. I wish every state had an organization like this to represent all the positive aspects of gay parenting. My dream is that in time, every state and county will have an organization like Gay Fathers of Ohio. All it takes is for one parent to have a dream and to be consistent. Please feel free to post your comments or visits; Gay Fathers & Husbands of Ohio

Be safe, Dennis Schleicher

Author of an explosives and controversial memoir; Forbidden Love with a Married Man: E-mail Diaries

Tell Us What You Think by Posting Your Comments;

photo is by Gay Fathers and Husbands of Ohio

Ted Haggard's Wife to Oprah: I Knew About Gay Desires

Ted Haggard's Wife to Oprah: I Knew About Gay Desires
Gayle Haggard thought her husband Ted could control his sexual urges, but she was wrong. And the ramifications would put her family in the national spotlight.

Gayle, the wife of former Colorado New Life Church Pastor Ted Haggard, will tell Oprah Winfrey today that she knew about her husband’s same-sex struggles for years and had hoped he had a handle on things. But then, in 2006, their world came crashing down when a male prostitute came forward about a relationship with Haggard. "The first words out of my mouth were, ‘Who are you?’" she said, according to a publicity release issued Tuesday by Harpo Productions.

Adding to the Haggards’ lack of marital bliss is the news this week that Haggard also masturbated in front of a then-22-year-old church volunteer in 2005. The volunteer, Grant Haas, told KRDO in Colorado Springs that Haggard also sent him illicit text messages including "all kind of weird things, texting me about all the different sexual positions, practices he was engaging in and it was just really weird." The church and the man reached a settlement in 2007. Haas says he spoke out now to protest a new HBO documentary on Haggard. Haas says that film, directed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s daughter, Alexandra, seems to paint Haggard as a victim, a label Haas simply couldn’t accept.

Why, you may wonder, would Haggard agree to such a project? "He talked to us because he had nothing to lose," Pelosi said. "He was down and out." But apparently Haggard isn’t too thrilled about the movie. He told the LA Times that he trusted his friend, Pelosi, not to invade his family’s privacy and he wasn’t comfortable with her using videotaped footage for the film. But Pelosi said she wanted to tell his side of the story, since the media did "a disservice" to him.
The documentary, "The Trials of Ted Haggard," premiers Thursday at 8 PM ET.

Books that we recommend;
by Dennis Schleicher
Forbidden Love with a Married Man: E-mail Diaries

by Angelo Pezzote
Straight Acting: Gay Men, Masculinity and Finding True Love