Woman Donates Eggs to Dads Needing Surrogate—Then Comes Chance Encounter

Newsweek

2 days ago

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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A queer woman donated her eggs to gay dads—then met their surrogate at a celebratory brunch. Now, they call themselves "one gay family."
After recovering from her egg retrieval, Lauren Arrabito, 28, decided to go out and celebrate. At brunch, she found herself sharing her story with a friend, Lindsay Perrin, who surprised her by expressing interest in becoming a surrogate.
Arrabito, from Florida, had originally moved to Denver, Colorado, on a whim and began looking into egg donation as a way to earn money. But once she started researching, she felt increasingly called to help gay couples access parenthood.
She quickly matched with two married dads, and after a warm Zoom introduction, the three realized they shared similar values. "I adored them from the very start," Arrabito told Newsweek. "I think we bonded over understanding what it means, especially in the LGBTQ+ community, to build a family with intention, compassion, and a whole lot of love."
Lindsay Perrin sports a Chappell Roan T-short in the hospital, left, and poses with her best friend and egg donor, Lauren Arrabito, right.
Lindsay Perrin sports a Chappell Roan T-short in the hospital, left, and poses with her best friend and egg donor, Lauren Arrabito, right.
Lauren Arrabito./Lauren Arrabito.
She shared a snippet of her story on TikTok, where it garnered 187,500 likes and 1.7 million views.
After applying and being accepted as a donor, Arrabito worked with a case manager and went through a full screening process—psychological evaluations, genetic testing, legal paperwork, blood work, ultrasounds, and two weeks of hormone injections to prepare for the procedure.
"The whole process can take anywhere from a couple of months to a year," she explained. "It comes with its restrictions and is definitely a commitment, but it's such a rewarding one."
In May 2024, just after her retrieval, Arrabito was at brunch with friends when she started talking about the process. Her friend Lindsay Perrin, a photographer and mom of two, was intrigued.
"Lauren and I were out to brunch talking about her egg donation to the dads," Perrin said. "She showed me photos of them and told me how wonderful they were when she met them. I originally said I would do it for the plot. I'm definitely the kind of person who does things on a whim... and how fun of a story would it be for two lesbians and two gay men to make a baby together?"
Two weeks later, Lindsay FaceTimed with the dads for the first time, she remembers feeling nervous, as if it were a first date.
"There was an instant connection," she said. Weekly FaceTime calls throughout the year helped build trust and deepen their bond.
Lindsay went in for the embryo transfer on Election Day—November 5, 2024. She wore Taylor Swift socks and a Kamala Harris T-shirt under her hospital gown. Coincidentally, during the embryo transfer, the song 'Good Luck, Babe' by queer icon, Chappell Roan, started playing.
"I knew that was good juju," she said. "It felt like the universe was blessing this moment."
They transferred the 19th embryo. A few days later, they got the news: Lindsay was pregnant with a baby girl—immediately dubbed Lucky #19.
Lindsay Perrin sports a T-shirt with the slogan "Call me Fedex I'm delivering for the gays," left, and with a friend giving her an IVF shot, right.
Lindsay Perrin sports a T-shirt with the slogan "Call me Fedex I'm delivering for the gays," left, and with a friend giving her an IVF shot, right.
Lindsay Perrin/Lindsay Perrin
The pregnancy was rough. "I was sick every single day," Perrin said. IVF added an extra challenge to being pregnant, since she had to get shots every day for ten weeks.
Her lesbian neighbors, friends, and even an Airbnb host pitched in to give her injections. "I actually started the injections the same weekend Taylor Swift was performing in Indianapolis and even scheduled the embryo transfer around her concerts."
She was in Vancouver shooting the Eras Tour finale for Rolling Stone when the nausea peaked. "It feels like no coincidence that baby girl was born on the 13th," she added. Famously, Taylor Swift's lucky number is 13.
As the due date approached, the dads drove to Indiana expecting to wait a week. Instead, 12 hours after arriving, Lindsay's water broke. Baby girl was born July 13.
"Labor and delivery was truly one of the most magical days of my life," Perrin said. "It's right up there with the birth of my own children and seeing The Eras Tour for the first time."
She intentionally switched doctors so a close lesbian friend—who supported her during her coming-out journey—could deliver the baby. "We also had a lesbian tech and lesbian nurse in the hospital," she said. "It was intentional having as many queer people involved in this experience as possible."
"We had a party playlist going during delivery... Chappell Roan, Renee Rapp, Charli XCX, and Taylor Swift," she said. "As I was pushing, one of the dads kept going on about how incredible the female body is. It felt like a scene from Barbie—a room full of women thinking, 'Yes, we are incredible.'"
After just three pushes, the baby was born. "We were all crying," Lindsay said. "After everything they had been through on their fertility journey, watching them become dads was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen."
Despite the joy, the emotional comedown was intense. "There was a bond, but it felt more like being a grandparent or a nanny... You love your time with the baby, but it's also really nice to hand her back."
She likened the feeling to the aftermath of a wedding: "You plan and anticipate it for so long, and then in what feels like an instant, it's over."
Her support system helped ease the transition. Lindsay lives on a street with four other queer women who supported her every step of the way who brought her meals. and visited.
"I loved getting to see the baby daily and even deliver milk I had pumped," she said.
She also housed the dads post-birth at a neighbor's place and said, "We built a beautiful little village around this baby girl. It was amazing to see the queer community come together like that."
"I've cried more grateful tears than I can count."
Since the birth, Lindsay has stayed close with the dads, texting regularly and planning a visit. "I plan to be the fun lesbian auntie who showers her with all the love," she said.
She reflected: "While I originally said I was doing this for the plot, it turned out to be the best decision I've ever made."
She also had the honor of photographing their newborn session before they returned home. "Behind the lens, I found myself in awe. The love between them is unlike anything I've ever witnessed... It brought me to tears more than once."
"In a time when the queer community is facing so much hate, this gave me hope. Pure, overwhelming hope. If anyone ever questions whether this kind of family should exist, I wish they could see what I saw."
Lindsay and Lauren's friendship has only deepened. "It's the coolest thing to get to be lesbian aunties together," Lindsay said. "To think it all started when we met at a Fletcher concert in Orlando in October 2022. So Fletcher, if you're reading this—this baby girl exists because of you."
TikTokers following the story were captivated.
"Congratulations!! Sounds like an amazing friendship," one user, Kyle, commented.
"A baby born out of a whole lot of gay love, conceived on Election Day, is such a power move. Congrats to all of you," another wrote.
"This is the best! I was a surrogate for two gay dads. Best thing I've ever done!" someone else chimed in.
Others joked it should be made into a TV series: "I want this to be a reality show," one user said.
Another added, "Awe, I love it so much. I (lesbian) was a surrogate for two gay dads (my cousins). I had two babies for them!"
"Sometimes we don't realize the ripple effect of saying yes to something brave," Arrabito said. "I said yes to a process I didn't fully understand and now I'm a part of a beautiful story I'll carry with me for the rest of my life."
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