Oriol Fort

Order Manager, DACH Region

I have always wanted to be a parent, having told my husband Marc my feelings on the matter the day after we first met in 2007. We began the lengthy process to adopt in 2016. We knew it would take time but  it would be worth it to provide a child with a loving family.

The national adoption process had a waiting list of nine years, so we decided to adopt from Colombia, one of only three countries globally who allow same-sex Spanish couples to adopt. In June 2019 we saw a picture of our future daughter, two-year old Mila. Two months later we flew to Cali in Colombia. I was so nervous when the staff at the orphanage brought her in to meet us because I was worried she would not like us! On the car ride back to our hotel she fell asleep in my husband’s arms for the first time.

We stayed in Colombia with her for a month completing the adoption process, finally arriving back in Barcelona in September. Our families were waiting at the airport to meet us; it was very emotional. I cried when I hugged my mum because I was so relieved. We knew every day of the adoption process that something could go wrong. Now that we were home, I could breathe again.

As we were the first same-sex couple in Catalonia to have adopted a child from abroad, we became local celebrities. We were on the evening news and interviewed by radio stations. It was fun but it highlighted to me that there is still a lot to do before an LGBTQ+ family adopting can be seen as normal.

Colt is an employer who understands that families come in many different forms. Colt’s policy to allow adoptive parents to take paternity leave allowed me time away from work to bond with my new daughter- it’s so important to have this in place, so that same-sex parents can have families too. I was also able to work part-time for two months after my paternity leave.

This year my husband and I will celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary as a family of three. My advice to anyone unsure about whether to become LGBT+ parents – just go for it; it is possible.

It will be absolutely worth it.

Oriol Fort | Order Manager, DACH Region | Barcelona