Focus on the Family, a powerful hate group that opposes lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights, is holding a "Super Dad Essay Contest" in honor of Father's Day. To encourage participants, Focus on the Family is making use of its promotional partnership with TiVo, the entertainment company, offering TiVo prizes and utilizing the national TiVo brand.

The Family Equality Council has organized our supporters to respond to this discriminatory contest and ill-advised partnership.

We have asked our families to nominate the LGBT dads in their lives in the "Super Dad" contest so that Focus on the Family knows that all dads can be super dads. We are also asking everyone to sign a petition, letting TiVo know that it cannot claim to serve all of its subscribers equally when it associates with a hate group like Focus on the Family.

This page features some of the stories that our supporters submitted in the "Super Dad" contest. As Focus on the Family continues to screen out any LGBT dads, we will continue to highlight all of their greatness here.

To find out how you can participate in the contest and have your nomination featured here, read the instructions in the right-hand column.

Mason:

"My name is Mason and my daddies are the best dads in the world.  My dad Kergan adopted me at birth as a single dad, and quit his job to take care of me until I was two.

After he met my Pappy Russ and adopted my brother Marcus, we became a forever family.  We do lots of fun stuff together like baseball, soccer, skateboard, bike, and more.  My dads also cook, wash clothes, clean, and drive us all over the place!  Most of all, they shower us with hugs and kisses and tell us we are loved."

Doug:

"Gideon Cooney Lebano, age two and a half, is the luckiest boy in the world because his daddy and papa, Doug and Christian, have a rule that whenever he approaches them with a book, one of them will take the time to sit down and read it. Gideon is learning English, French and Spanish all at the same time. And he's particularly lucky because his dads keep his diet nutritious and organic, including lots of tomatoes, oranges and avocados fresh from the yard."

Brent:

"Our Dads are truly Super Dads!  Daddy J quit his job to raise his three children full time and Daddy B works to support the family of 5 (when he's not working he spends all of his time with the kids).  With only one income to support a large family, we may not have as many material things as some other families, but we all the love, support, encouragement, and true devotion from both of our Dads that any children could ever want.  Our friends and relatives constantly tell us how lucky we are to have two Dads that support us in everything that we do."

David:

"My partner, Thomas, and I adopted Jon 2 years ago. He had only recently come out and even though he was then 23 years old, he still felt he needed a home where his parents would understand him. We had known him for several years through an agency for gay and lesbian youths where my partner worked parttime; he was good with our dogs and seemed

comfortable with us. He left his stepfather's house (his mother had abandoned him long ago) and came to live with us. After a couple years, we decided to make it an official family. We adopted Jon and are now proud to call him our son. In return, he has two Super Dads who can give him the home neither of us had growing up."

Paul:

"At the age of 71 with children in their mid 40’s my “Super Dad” responsibilities have changed from teacher and mentor to being an occasional “wise man”.  My greatest challenge in parenting was guiding our gay son in his development into a responsible and productive citizen.  This journey was often difficult in over coming intolerance, discrimination, and hate of his sexual orientation.  Our son is a respected university professor and I am extremely proud of his accomplishments.  I am equally proud of  my efforts to guide him along this journey.  My “dad” efforts today are advocating for GLBT issues."

Noah:

"My dad is a Super Dad!!! My dad is super because she has the courage to be the person that she is despite the difficulties of living in a world where trangender people are laughed at, made fun of and ridiculed. My dad has had to live as a man most of his life. When the time was right for her to start becoming, on the outside, the woman that she kept hidden for 49 years, she started her most difficult and most courageous journey, ever. I hope I am as courageous as my dad in my own life."

Christopher:

"I would like to nominate my husband, Ryan.  Ryan is a stay at home dad and takes special care of our daughter, Olivia.  Olivia is only three months old, but she loves her Daddy and her Papa (me) very much!  Ryan not only takes extra special care of Olivia during the day, he also wakes up for her middle of the night feedings.  As we are both new dads, Ryan has gone above and beyond the call of duty to care for Olivia and me.  Thank you for the opportunity to recognize the value Ryan brings to our family."

Molly:

"When Peter Vitale and Stephen Nelson decided they wanted to adopt, they had no requirements. They didn't care about the child's age, or race, or gender, or if he or she had a mental illness or disability.  

Britta, Sarah, and Roy had been in and out of three foster homes in their short lives, mostly because while people were eager to adopt one, nobody could take all three. 

But Peter and Stephen welcomed all of the children with open arms. It hasn’t been easy for any of them, but I have never been in a home that is more loving, beautiful, or full of joy and creativity. 

Peter and Stephen are truly a pair of SuperDads!"

Caitlin:

"I live in a wonderful non-traditional family.  My dad came out of the closet when I was in fourth grade and I couldn't be any prouder.  Not only are we closer than ever before, but I also gained a spectacular second daddy who loves me as his own.  My dads have been such a wonderful force in my life teaching me diversity, compassion, and unconditional love.  I always say I'mtwice as lucky because I have TWO dads.  We may be an unconventional family, but my dads are one of God's greatest gifts to me!"

Carl:

"In our two-dad home, my husband is "Daddy" to two beautiful, athletic boys with special needs, whom we fostered then adopted over five years ago.  He is patience personified, consistently caring and involved in the lives of our 7-year old and 10-year old.  He has taught us all kindness and empathy.  Although occasionally difficult, he has taken the experience of parenting special needs children and expanded it to include other peoples' children.  He became a special education teacher, working with children with autism (ASD) and emotional/behavioral disorders (EBD).  We are very proud of Daddy!"

K.W.:

"Our father, Frank, and his partner, Arthur, now in their mid-80's, are two "SuperDads"! For us 8 kids and 12 grandkids, their loving, loyal, respectful, 25+ years, relationship "sets the bar" for how marriage should be.  They live simply, maintain good health, sing and play music, and volunteer their time, professional expertise, experience and wisdom for their church, the library board, and the school board in their small town.  In the movie "Young at Heart" you'll see people like our two Dads: vibrant seniors, who show us middle-aged folk how to live every moment with love, gratitude, integrity, and grace."

Lisa:

"After raising two children, my friend Rod, an openly gay man, felt called by God to adopt a baby into his life. But he didn't adopt just any baby. Little Reggie was of a different race, was in the state's custody, and was HIV positive. The doctors said Reggie would not live to adulthood. Nonetheless, Rod fell in love with baby Reggie and welcomed him into his heart. Today, Reggie is a strapping young man entering his senior year of high school. With God's help, Rod has given Reggie a happy, beautiful life, and that's why he's a SuperDad."

Sheila:

"Dr. Bullock is not only my doctor but he is my spouse's doctor and pediatrician to our little boys. And he's a SuperDad. He and his partner are both openly gay and they have two children that they were able to bring into their lives via a surrogate mother. Dr. Bullock is such a proud papa and he beams and giggles whenever he talks about his beautiful children. I admire how he is proud of who he is and is raising his children to be loving of everyone and accepting of people's differences. Dr. Bullock is indeed a SuperDad."

Rob:

"My husband is unbelievable with our daughter.  As the stay at home dad within our two dad household, he provides what any little girl would want ... a loving, caring, supportive and stable environment from which she can expand her world.  He navigates the delicate balance of knowing when to be cuddly and be playful and when she needs more of a stern hand.  He is her "dada"..."