Devin Biggs-Vanderhorst Queers for Queer Care Award Winner Spring 2020

My name is Devin Biggs -Vanderhorst, I am 38 years old from Harlem, New York.  I am a mother of 7, 2 boys 19, and 16 years of age. 4 girls ages 14,13,11, & 2. I would also have a 24-year-old but she unfortunately passed away 2 hours after birth. But I will forever have an angel. I have been married to my amazing wife Shawn since December 4th 2015. She is my best friend and my #1 supporter I couldn’t be happier.

I wanted the Queer for Queer care scholarship because  in 2017 Shawn and I decided to add a baby to our family through home insemination.  For the Queer community adding to the family can be quite a task. Learning how to track and chart my ovulation as well as what natural supplements help to aid with fertility, finding a donor, and choosing which method of home insemination we preferred took countless hours of research. I had no one to ask so I just had to teach myself. After having a successful insemination many of the lesbian couples we knew begin to come to me for advice about how we inseminated.  I was excited to share with them all that I learned through my research. As I read the descriptions of the different scholarships, I reached the Queer for Queer care scholarship, I knew it was for me. I am very passionate about supporting my community. I have always wanted to find a platform to advocate for our human rights and with this scholarship I will be gaining the knowledge to do so.

I chose bebo mia because everything they stand for resonates with me. With bebo mia it’s so much more than just being certified as a birth worker. It’s learning how to be genuine and caring to people, respecting people and their lifestyles as well as paying it forward. All things that I practice everyday of my life. I was also drawn in by  the story of how bebo mia began. The fact that Bianca and Natasha knew after finishing their doula programs that there was so much more to know about being a birth worker and being brave to start their own business makes me eager to learn with bebo mia. I’ve always been a rebel without a cause and now I have one. I can’t help but feel empowered by these women. I feel like I will finish my program with the full knowledge and confidence to be successful.  

 I have such a love and respect for the whole pregnancy process that being a doula would be the perfect career for me.  I want to wake up in the morning excited about my career. I want to support families through this beautiful time in their lives. I also want to show my children that they don’t necessarily have to go to college to achieve a successful career that they are passionate about.

After finishing my program, I plan to start a successful doula business geared towards the LGBTQIAS2+ community, I want to aid in the fertility, birth, and postpartum process. Sometimes in the LGBTQIAS2+ community there is a lack of support from family and community and during the time of bringing a new and beautiful life into the world. It should be the most important and beautiful time of one’s life. Receiving support from family and friends is very important and that’s what excites me about wanting to be a part of the process. I want to be that source of support and resource for information that is needed. The passion I have for both my community and new life will be poured into my business. And out of that, I will receive full spiritual gratification. 

-Devin Biggs-Vanderhorst