Gay Fathers, Twin Sons - by Nancy L Segal (Hardcover)

About the Book

Gay Fathers-Twin Sons follows the story of a gay male couple fighting to raise their Canadian-born twins in the United States. Each partner had fathered one twin via egg donation and surrogacy, but only one parent was a US citizen, leaving one child without a biological Americ...

Book Synopsis

Gay Fathers--Twin Sons follows the story of a gay male couple fighting to raise their Canadian-born twins in the United States. Each partner had fathered one twin via egg donation and surrogacy, but only one parent was a US citizen, leaving one child without a biological American parent. And, thus, the fight for citizenship began.

Review Quotes

Andrew Banks, an American, and Elad Dvash, an Israeli, were married in Canada in 2011. Years later, they became parents to fraternal twin boys, Aidan and Ethan, via a surrogate, with Andrew the biological father of Aidan and Elad of Ethan. Things became difficult when Andrew and Elad decided to move to California and discovered to their horror that Ethan couldn't get a U.S. passport. Thus began four years of legal filings, media exposure, and constant fear that the family would be unable to remain together in the U.S. A renowned psychologist who specializes in twin studies, Segal (Accidental Brothers, 2018) followed the case, and her findings form the substance of this insightful book, which is not without its complexities.... [T]he book is also an accessible human story with a happy ending: Ethan is now a U.S. citizen. Case closed.

Dr. Segal's first-person account reads like a courtroom novel, flush with plot tension, character development, engaging personalities, legal facts, and interviews with those close to the case. The reader's journey through the emotional legal tangle provides a meaningful service to psychologists, therapists, and social workers; themes of gay marriage, child custody, citizenship, prejudice, government discrimination, as well as surrogacy and IVF mirror today's headlines.

Gay Fathers, Twin Sons is indeed a book that needed to be written and written so well as only Nancy Segal could! As an immigrant and immigration attorney, I have so much admiration for Andrew and Elad and the courage they demonstrated throughout this incredibly trying battle for equality for their twins. Their bravery and persistence resulted in a categorical change in government policy that has - and will - benefit so many other families in the future. They refused to accept the unjust (and illegal) status quo and I'm grateful that people like them exist to persevere for equal justice for all.

In Gay Fathers, Twin Sons, Segal once again takes a sensi­tive and insightful approach to addressing topics of consid­erable societal importance.... Gay Fathers, Twin Sons is a fascinating read, and is highly recommended to those with (or without) an interest in behavioural genetics research.

The book is very clearly written and organized, and well integrated across the chapters. I can see it being useful for a course that addresses or includes topics of assisted reproduction and/or parenting among gay male couples.

The book Gay Fathers, Twin Sons is a beautifully written piece of work. It is warm, personal, and presents the Dvash Banks case in great detail. The profound narrative of the book includes the richness of details and vivid descriptions of all the individuals involved in the story while delving into their personalities, values, abilities, life histories and much more. This comprehensive exploration presents these individuals both on a personal level and as an interconnected group, painting a multifaceted picture.

This book is both a heart-warming and heart-breaking tale. It's a story of ordinary people overcoming extraordinary obstacles. You cannot read it without rethinking the fundamental issues underlying family life. Using her great breath of scholarly knowledge (Psychology, Evolution, Child Development, Genetics, etc.) Nancy Segal weaves scientific ideas and personal experiences into a flawless tapestry that affords the reader a profound educational experience.

This story highlights the heroics of two men who sacrificed their privacy to make a difference for their children and others to follow. Segal cogently focuses on the terrifying reality that not all families are treated equally under our law. This tale follows the lives of two men and their twin sons as they seek a fair and legal path to U.S. citizenship. As the book progresses, Segal's treatment of the personal and legal paths that the men traversed makes us consider issues that get to the very bedrock of basic freedoms - who we can love and who we are allowed to nurture.

While same-sex marriage was still not legally recognized in the US, two men in a committed relationship--one of whom was a US citizen--chose to move from California to Canada to marry and start a family. The Dvash-Banks family soon welcomed twin boys, thanks to an egg donor and a surrogate; one father was biologically related to each child. But when they tried to move back to California, their story took a dark turn: officials claimed the child biologically related to the non-US citizen did not qualify for US citizenship. Segal employs a frame focusing on the twins to relate the successful legal battle waged by the family to secure US citizenship for their son, and includes expansive details about the individuals involved and their life stories. State Department policies have now been revised, paving the way for transmission of citizenship to children of same-sex and opposite-sex couples who similarly use assisted reproductive methods. Later chapters of the book may be of particular interest to those interested in LGBTQ rights and issues of citizenship and naturalization. Recommended. General readers.

You would think having twins would be a glorious gift for parents, which it is if you're heterosexual. If you're a gay couple it's another story entirely, one told by the preeminent twins researcher and masterful storyteller Nancy Segal. Gay Fathers, Twin Sons is at once gripping, infuriating, heartbreaking, and uplifting. For all the moral progress we've made over the centuries it's hard to believe same-sex couples still struggle to be treated equally under the law. A brilliant read.

About the Author

Nancy L. Segal, PhD, is a Psychology Professor, and Director and Founder of the Twin Studies Center at California State University, Fullerton. She has authored over 300 scholarly articles and eight books. Her 2012 book, Born Together-Reared Apart: The Landmark Minnesota Twin Study, won the American Psychological Association's William James Book Award. Her recent work, Deliberately Divided: Inside the Controversial Study of Twins and Triplets Adopted Apart, was the focus of a July 2022 BBC-TV documentary. Her work has been featured in the New York Times and Atlantic Monthly. She has appeared on national and international televised programs, including the Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America, the Today Show and the BBC. Her latest book is an annotated collection of photographs taken at the Holocaust twins' 40th anniversary reunion and hearing on Josef Mengele's war crimes. Segal lives and works in southern California.