There are more than 1000 children growing up in gay or lesbian families in the Czech Republic. The legal standing of those families is not equal with that of other families. That is why LGBT parents and those who plan to build such a family appreciate every possibility to meet other same-sex parents, and every opportunity to exchange experiences and obtain information. 

The Prague Pride association has been organizing gay parental training sessions since 2014. There have been around 100 participants so far, and the first graduates already have children. At the training session, couples and individuals meet with experts in various fields and with LGBT parents who are willing to share their experiences. The Prague Pride association also focuses on supporting existing rainbow families. We have initiated meetings for them and are planning to continue doing that in the future. In cooperation with researcher Petra Kutalkova we have published Duhové rodiny ve stínu státu  (Rainbow Families In the State’s Shadow), a study mapping the situation of same-sex parents in the Czech Republic.

Since 2014, 120 people have completed our parental training sessions: 84 women and 38 men. 15 children were born into `graduate` families, including three pairs of twins.

What our graduates say:  

“You get to spend quality time and combine the pleasant with the useful in an atmosphere of openness… thanks to the training, you obtain a set of topics for domestic discussion, and ideally also validation of the righteousness of the path you have chosen.”

“When you’re considering having children you go to this course and get a sense of what’s ahead. That’s what they told us, and it was mission accomplished.”

“The preparation surely gives you a new dimension and helps with decision making, you finally meet with people who have had that experience, and you won’t be clueless anymore.”

“If you want to find out what your possibilities are, meet new people and learn interesting things, go for it…”