Chase and Oliver share their journey to becoming parents as two trans dads navigating IVF, pregnancy, identity, and queer family building.
The couple opens up about meeting as lesbians before both later coming out as trans, deciding who would carry, stopping testosterone to conceive, navigating failed IUIs, finding the right donor, and ultimately becoming pregnant through IVF.
They also discuss trans visibility, redefining masculinity, pregnancy dysphoria, chest feeding, queer travel, and what it means to raise a child in today’s political climate. It’s a deeply honest, funny, and hopeful conversation about intentional parenthood and building a family on your own terms.
🏳️🌈 Key Takeaways
Chase and Oliver met as lesbians before both later coming out as trans and eventually beginning their journey to parenthood together.
The couple shares what it was like for Oliver to stop testosterone in order to conceive and navigate pregnancy as a trans man.
After multiple failed IUIs with a sperm bank donor, they ultimately conceived through IVF using a different donor.
The episode explores the emotional complexity of donor selection, queer family building, and the intentionality required to create LGBTQ families.
Chase and Oliver open up about redefining masculinity, fatherhood, and what being “real dads” means to them.
They discuss pregnancy dysphoria, reconnecting with the body, and the importance of visible trans parent representation.
Throughout the conversation, the couple reflects on how queer and trans self-discovery has prepared them to raise a child with empathy, acceptance, and authenticity.
🏳️🌈 About the guest(s)
Chase and Oliver are trans dads, content creators, and queer travel advocates based in the Chicago area who document LGBTQ-friendly destinations and community spaces through their platform, @explorewithchase. In this episode, they share their journey to parenthood — from transitioning together after first meeting as lesbians, to navigating donor conception, IVF, pregnancy after testosterone, and what it means to redefine fatherhood and masculinity as they prepare to welcome their first child.
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🏳️🌈 Resources Mentioned
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🏳️🌈 Edited by: Jerson Barajas 🏳️🌈 Theme Song by: Tiffany Topol 🏳️🌈 Logo by: Daneen Stevenato
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