Desperately Seeking a Black Sperm Donor

[brooklynite]

New York Times

Nikki and I did something often considered too good to be true. We stumbled across each other in a humid, dark, loud nightclub in West Hollywood during the 2014 Los Angeles Pride weekend; it was love at first sight.

Fast forward to 2018, when we got married and bought a house within the same week. But our dream wouldn’t be complete without one more miracle: motherhood. The medical recommendation is that women have children before the age of 35, so we decided that Nikki should carry first since she’s 33 and I’m 28. But like many folks who seek out fertility help, we had no idea how difficult it would be to find the perfect sperm donor, let alone a black donor.

Nikki is an extrovert who works as a global partnership senior manager for a top technology company. If her perfect smile and big hair don’t blow you away, her optimism and ambition will take you around the universe and back. Nikki would describe me as a super creative, solutions-oriented introvert. I’m the person everyone comes to for advice, but I was at a loss when it came to finding a suitable sperm donor for our needs.

Even before we started looking, I was under the impression that there was a limited supply of black donors. Maybe that’s because I don’t know any black donors. Maybe it’s because buying sperm or conceiving a baby in this fashion isn’t considered a “black thing.” As it turns out, I was correct. Though private sperm banks are not required to share the ethnic origins of their donors publicly, as we started our search we found the number of black donors to be vanishingly small.

[Fullduplexxx]

1. Sperm only comes in one color

[MineralMan]

2. But the genetics don't. I understand what is driving

this couple to seek a black donor. Their choice, really. I can't fault them for that in any way.

[Fullduplexxx]

6. My apologies to both of you ... the headline makes it sound like they are looking for a donor of

Black sperm

[MineralMan]

8. Really? It was quite clear in the article that.

the women were African-American, and were looking for a donor to match that category. I can't see how the confusion occurred, really.

[Fullduplexxx]

9. There was no confusion it was a joke on the way the headline was worded

[lunatica]

12. Some days it just doesn't pay to get out of bed

Sigh....

[csziggy]

5. This was their choice - and they had thought about it

From the link in the OP:

B.A.: That was huge for me, too. His willingness to donate to help families like ours truly warmed my heart. We went through all this to make sure we acquired a black donor. What do you say to the folks who ask, “Why not choose another ethnicity?”

Nikki: I wouldn’t be able to provide enough support for our child’s other culture, and that’s not fair.

B.A.: It’s important, too, that we have black children that understand that being just black is beautiful. I know too many people who believe that black by itself isn’t beautiful or enough. That’s simply not true.

Nikki: I agree. We want our future children to love who they are. We’re both black and we want our children to reflect our genetic makeup.

[Fullduplexxx]

7. My apologies to both of you ... the headline makes it sound like they are looking for a donor of

Black sperm . It was supposed to be a joke

[Blue_Tires]

3. I donated in my college days, have at it...

[MineralMan]

4. I did a quick search, and many sperm banks let you specify

African-american as a criterion. I did a couple of searches, and found donors that fit that category. Not as many, by any means, but some in each of the sperm banks I searched.

So, there's hope for that couple.

[Wounded Bear]

10. Best wishes for your search...

and your impending motherhood. I hope to help you build a better world for your children to grow up in.

[ProudLib72]

11. Hmmm

Yeah, it's OT. I was searching for a particular scene from a Wayan bro's film at a sperm bank. This is what popped up.