Brian Rosenberg, who is HIV-positive, spent most of his adult life thinking becoming a dad was simply out of the question.
"At that point, it was all about how much time do we have together?" Rosenberg, a gay man, recalls discussing with his partner, Ferd van Gameren.
But as treatment and outcomes for other HIV-positive folks like him improved, the couple's mindset changed. "We started to feel like life had to be about more than just the two of us."
After a turbulent, emotional ride with an adoption that fell through at the last minute and attempts at surrogacy, Rosenberg and van Gameren finally became fathers when they adopted a newborn baby boy named Levi.
"We went into a few stores like, 'We’re having a baby. We’re getting it tomorrow. We have nothing. What do we need?'" he says.
They found that pretty much everything baby-related was marketed toward moms. Most of the advice online was, again, geared toward moms. There was barely any support out there for dads, let alone gay dads.
Eventually, the two got a hold of the whole parenting thing and decided they'd try to make a difference. They started an online community called, fittingly, Gays With Kids.
Gays With Kids shares stories, photos, and support for a hugely neglected but growing audience: gay dads.
All photos via Gays With Kids, used with permission.
The photos are absolutely adorable — diverse, happy, double-dad families from all around the world.
But there's an important mission behind the "aww"-inducing pics.
Rosenberg says the mission is two-fold: one, to help gay men learn about how they can become dads (it's not always easy) and two, to see what life is like for other gay men once their dream comes true.
A lot of gay men in their 40s and 50s never would have imagined becoming a parent was possible.
The good news is, Rosenberg says, the younger generation is thinking about kids more and more — a fact that keeps him motivated every day.
While he wants to normalize gay parenthood, Rosenberg is very clear: "To me there was never a need to prove that it's OK to be gay and become a dad."
"Of course it's OK," he says.
Knocking down major stereotypes isn't something he concerns himself with much.
He just wants people — straight and gay alike — to know that two men who love each other coming together to raise a child is a beautiful thing.
And he's right! I mean, have you seen the photos so far?
The response has been huge: Gays With Kids has over 50,000 followers on Instagram and brings in thousands of letters, stories, and messages of support every day.
Rosenberg says his favorite letters are actually from moms of gay sons.
"They said 'thank you' because we helped show them what their sons' lives might look like one day," he says.
He's also inspired when he hears from gay men overseas, some of whom aren't "allowed" to even be gay at all.
These might just look like cute photos to some of us, but for gay men in certain countries, it's impossible to overestimate how hopeful they may make them feel.
As for Rosenberg and van Gameren, they're now proud parents to three gorgeous children. It's a dream come true for both of them.
A dream they almost didn't let themselves believe in.
Photo courtesy of Manny Lopez and Tatiana Teo Photography via Gays With Kids.
Sharing their story, and the stories of other men like them, has become a true labor of love.
The effect Gays With Kids is having goes far beyond its number of Instagram followers.
It's giving hope, pride, and proof that anything is possible to a whole new generation of gay men.
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An actual beaver dam on the now-thriving Price River
Behold, the Rye Riptides miniboat. 
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."