The Brads completed their modern American family when they welcomed their son Kyler to the world.
Kyler was adopted, but not through the traditional route. Brad Letson and Brad Benton met Kyler’s mother through Facebook.
The Brads, as they are known to their friends, created an advert on Facebook that would pop up to friends of friends, but only females within a certain age range, specifying that they were looking to adopt.
The advert read: "Loving gay couple in DC area seeks open adoption of a baby. Contact us if you’d like to place your baby in a home full of joy!"
Kyler’s mother, Sesa Juliana, got in touch and the trio emailed, exchanged phone calls and Skype conversations to arrange the adoption. When she was eight months pregnant, the adoption was confirmed.
"We have friends who are in the adoption process as well and they are doing the exact same thing. They have their own website set up, they Facebook, they Twitter, they set up all kinds of accounts to show the world they are open to adoption and looking for a family," Letson told the BBC as part of their Living Online series.
Facebook can match children with prospective parents in a way similar to online dating.
The Brads also use technology to help Kyler to keep in touch with his mother via Facebook and Skype.
"It’s enabled me to sustain a relationship with Kyler who lives out-of-state. I have been able to be involved in almost all of his daily life through technology," said Juliana.
"The interesting thing for Kyler is he doesn’t really know any different and he’s been growing up seeing videos of himself, pictures of himself on the iPhone, iPad and Skype so it kind of is his world. We think of it as something new but he doesn’t know any different," aid Letson.
The Brads share everything through Facebook and have created an online community to help other couples going through the adoption process.
"It’s not for everybody, others would not do it that way, they would be a little more private, but we’re choosing to be more open so people can have a better understanding of adoption," said Benton.
