Tom Daley’s husband Dustin Lance Black criticises surrogacy laws after baby announcement
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Dustin Lance Black has criticised UK surrogacy laws after announcing he is to start a family with husband Tom Daley.
Daley, 23, and his Oscar-winning husband, 43, announced they were expecting a child on Valentine’s Day.
The pair are using a surrogate mother for the process, it is understood, though she has opted to keep her identity private.
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Speaking to the Attitude Heroes podcast Dustin said: “We’ve done research into loads of different ideas, through adoption or through surrogacy and all that kind of stuff.
“Well actually the laws in the UK don’t actually permit commercial surrogacy.
“That was a bit of shock to me. That in a place like this, that seems so progressive and so far ahead still to the United States on things like employment, housing, security and marriage.
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“But on surrogacy, it’s not available in the same way.”
Odds on a name for the child have been narrowing, with bookies saying he is most likely be named after Daley’s father Robert.
Robert Daley died from cancer in May 2011 at the age of 40, when the Olympic medallist was just 17.
Current odds have the name at 9/4, far ahead of the next favourite for a boy’s name, James, which stands at 6/1.
The most popular choice if the baby is born female is Charlotte, at 10/1 – which is unsurprising, considering Prince William and Kate Middleton’s daughter’s name has risen in popularity since her birth.
Bookies seem near-certain that the child will be a boy, as five of the top seven most likely names being typically male, with Oliver, Richard and Chris all apparently in the running.
Tom Daley and Dustin Lance Black
Rated ever so slightly lower down, there are some aquatic-themed names for the former Olympic diver’s child.
Ursula is rated at 200/1, with Nemo, Poseidon and Splash all standing at 250/1.
The joy prompted by the couple’s social media post was soon joined by hateful comments.
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The most prominent voice among these detractors was The Daily Mail’s consistently anti-LGBT columnist Richard Littlejohn, who published a column insisting that gay parenting was “not normal”, including the line “pass the sick bag”.
The inflammatory column led advertisers including London’s Southbank Centre, Quorn and Center Parcs to cut ties with the newspaper.
Radio station LBC apologised “unreservedly” after PinkNews asked why it had tweeted to its 260,000 followers: “Tom Daley and his husband are having a baby.
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“Is there something sinister about the woman’s exclusion in this scenario?”
Black took the high road in response to the hatred flung at him and Daley, posting a message of “strength and love”.
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“My reaction to others’ hate, bigotry & misinformation will not include anger or hate,” he added.
People welcomed this reaction, meeting it with praise – and even offers to babysit.
