On Sunday, the first female staff member of the NFL staff will join the Super Bowl heyday as coach: San Francisco 49ers offensive assistant Katie Sowers.

“Being the first female in the Super Bowl, it’s surreal,” Sowers said. “It really is. But what I want to continue to say is that even though I’m the first, the most important thing is I’m not the last and we continue to grow it.”

Sowers is currently in her fourth season in the NFL, three of which have been with the Niners and two of which have been with the Atlanta Falcons’, joining a minority internship program and training camps with their wide receivers.

Niners coach Kyle Shanahan was her connection to both teams. According to Shanahan, Sowers fit right in. “I think the neatest thing with Katie that we liked when we had her in the training camp is we’d have a guy in there that would swear and say, ‘I’m sorry Katie’ — Katie would be awkward from that and be like why would you say sorry, and we started to realize that’s what made it work,” Shanahan said. “We could all be ourselves. It didn’t have to be any different whether it was a girl or a guy, it’s just another intern trying to get a job, and Katie made everyone so comfortable in that way that I never even thought about it.”

49ers wide receiver Kendrick Bourne has openly credited Sowers with his own skills on the field. During Sowers’ first year with the team, she worked primarily with this position.

But there are eight female coaches in total with the NFL this season – but Sowers has had the longest tenure so far, and is the first to step into this major role.

“She has that ability and the leadership to do that,” Quarterback Nick Mullens said of her. “I know she has the tenacity and the mindset to achieve those things, so I can’t say that I’m surprised. She’s obviously worked so hard to get here and really created a lot of opportunities for herself. She has a vision, and it’s incredible to watch that grow.”

Since the announcement, she appeared in a commercial for the Microsoft Surface tablet in which she shares a letter she wrote to herself as a child saying she hoped to someday be on a real football team. In a statement about achieving this goal, Sowers said: “Even though I’m the first, the most important thing is I’m not the last.”

She’s been pretty busy reading and penning back notes and letters from young girls all over the country. “Truly, a lot of the energy that I feed off of when I feel like the hours get long and it’s tiring or emotionally draining, it’s those young girls that I think about,” she said. “I’ve had so many good ones. I had a girl who had my same last name that wrote to me. It was pretty cool, and she loves sports and she’s so excited to see a woman with her same last name coaching.”

But she has big plans for the future: when asked if she has hopes of being a head coach in the NFL, her response was: “absolutely.” She added that she’ll continue to do her best at whatever opportunities she’s given, and when more arise, she plans to take full advantage.

“I am willing and happy to be a trailblazer because I know that other women, other young girls, are watching this and maybe their path seems a little clearer now,” Sowers said.

In the world of celebrity parents, there are all sorts of families. While some celebrity men are raising kids themselves — like Andy Cohen or Perez Hilton — others are doing with it their husbands, boyfriends, or exes. These athletes, models, actors, and musicians are raising beautiful children with two fathers. After all, families come in all shapes and sizes. Join us as we take a look at the celebrity couples who prove that two dads are better than one.

We’ll kick things off with the gorgeous family of singer Ricky Martin and painter Jwan Yosef. Together, the pair has four children, named Lucia, Valentina, Matteo, and Renn. Plus, they’re open to having more!

The star has said of his family, “I just want to normalize families like mine. I know it’s very interesting for a lot of people who tell me, ‘Thank you Ricky for posting that picture with you and your husband and your kids.’ That made me feel better about myself.”

He’s best known for creating TV favorites like Glee, American Horror Story, and The Politician. But on top of that, Ryan Murphy has been busy creating his family. He and his husband, photographer David Miller, have three sons together.

Logan Phineas was born in 2012, Ford Theodore in 2014, and Griffin Sullivan joined the gang in 2020. Sadly, Ford was diagnosed with cancer, but is now cancer-free. Ryan Murphy’s sitcom The New Normal was inspired by his experience as a gay father.

Speaking of American Horror Story, our next entry starred in the Coven season of the show. Actor Denis O’Hare married interior designer Hugo Redwood back in 2011. Several years later, the couple adopted 17-month-old Declan. Looking back, O’Hare remembers, “I became a parent the minute Declan was put into my arms.”

Though the actor usually plays sinister characters, he’s far from that when it comes to his family. He has commented, “I’m happy to be part of a conversation where I speak about my experience.”

Here’s another set of dashing dads. American actor Matt Bomer married publicist Simon Halls in 2011. However, they managed to keep their ceremony hidden from the media for several years. Together, the couple has three children — Kit, and twins Walker and Henry.

At an awards ceremony in 2012, the star thanked his family, saying, “I’d really especially like to thank my beautiful family: Simon, Kit, Walker, Henry. Thank you for teaching me what unconditional love is. You will always be my proudest accomplishment.”

Fashion designer and director Tom Ford was married to fashion editor and journalist Richard Buckley. Sadly, the much loved Buckley passed away in 2021 at the age of 72. At that stage, Ford and Buckley had been an item for 35 years.

Prior to Richard Buckley’s passing, the chic couple had been raising their young son together. Alexander John “Jack” Buckley Ford was born in 2012 to the adoring couple. Sadly, Tom Ford is now adjusting to life without his life partner.

Frank Lowe is best known as the @GayAtHomeDad on Twitter. He started off tweeting about his life as a gay father, and now has a serious social media following. Frank was married to Jeremy, though the pair have now split. Despite that, they’re still co-parents to their son, Briggs.

Frank Lower became a stay-at-home dad when he and Jeremy moved from Chicago to rural Connecticut. The pair divorced in 2015 but are still there when it comes to their son.

Fashionistas know British designer Christopher Bailey as the man behind Burberry. When he became CEO of the company in 2014, he was the first openly gay man to do so. The designer married English actor Simon Woods in 2012, and now they’re dads to two gorgeous girls, Iris and Nell.

This lovely family snap is from the pages of Vogue when Christopher Bailey left Burberry in 2018. He has said of fatherhood, “Suddenly your whole priority is protecting and looking after these two little things.”

Emmy award winner Dan Bucatinsky married screenwriter Don Roos in 2008. The couple met at a movie premiere and have been together ever since. Now, they’re the proud parents of daughter Eliza and son Jonah.

Dan Bucatinksy has revealed that he never expected to get married or have children. He said, “While we were expecting Eliza, I was in such shock and denial that it was really happening. It didn’t occur to me what would happen when we took that baby home.”

Next up are several people named Alex. Firstly there’s America’s Next Top Model star Miss J. Alexander. Then, there’s his ex-boyfriend Alex — who he refers to as “the doctor.” Finally, there’s their son, who they surprisingly did not name Alex.

This pair has since split but they still raise their son as co-parents. J. Alexander announced that he had a son while on a talk show. The modeling coach explained that he has a “very active role” in his child’s life.

Our next gay dads have also called it quits on their relationship, but not on their parenting. We first met hairstylist Ryan Nickulas when he appeared on LGBTQ reality series The A-List: New York. Now, he’s a self-professed style guru.

Ryan and his ex-husband Desmond Smith have two kids together. On a 2021 family snap, Nickulas wrote, “I am so blessed and proud to raise two beautiful humans with @thedpsmith […] Thank you for being an amazing father and always pushing me to be my best.”

Truth be told, we sort of love our next pair of gay dads. Well, in reality, actor Andrew Rannells is just dating actor Tuc Watkins, but don’t they look adorable together? Kansas-born Tuc came out in 2013 and announced he was a single father to twins Catchen and Curtis.

Since 2019, the actor has been seeing Andrew Rannells, and the pair look rather cozy playing happy families. This talented couple met while playing a couple on Broadway. They then reprised their roles for the Netflix adaptation.

The world met Swedish real estate broker Fredrik Eklund on reality TV, and he’s managed to make an absolute fortune. The TV star has closed over five billion dollars in real estate, and founded his own high-end brokerage. In his personal life, Fredrik married artist Derek Kaplan in 2013.

The couple initially struggled with becoming dads, and their surrogate tragically experienced a miscarriage. Now, the couple has twins, born in 2017 — daughter Milla, and son Fredrik Jr.

Director Lee Daniels has since split from his ex-partner, casting director Billy Hopkins. However, they’re still both dads to their twins — Liam and Clara Daniels. The filmmaker adopted his biological niece and nephew and has raised them as his own.

Lee Daniels and Billy Hopkins adopted Clara and Liam when they were just three days old. Their father, Lee’s brother, was sent to prison so he took them in. Apparently, they were the first same-gender couple to adopt in the state of Pennsylvania.

Sam Harris has had an impressive career that spans TV, movies, theater, and music. He also wrote about his experiences in a memoir, including what it’s like to be a gay father. The singer has been with director and presentation coach Danny Jacobsen since 1994.

The couple adopted their son, Cooper Atticus Harris-Jacobsen, in 2008. After they became parents, Sam and Danny decided to tie the knot and officially become husbands. In this adorable family snap, Sam, Danny, and Cooper are attending the premiere of Sam’s musical memoir.

Though not everyone will know his name, country singer-songwriter Shane McAnally has written and produced for Reba McEntire, Keith Urban, Kacey Musgraves, and Kelly Clarkson. The Grammy award winner married Michael Baum in 2012 and welcomed their children that same year.

The ceremony was attended by all sorts of country big names. Shane and Michael are parents to twins Dash Ryan and Dylan Brook. In 2017, the couple got married again in Nashville. This time, their ceremony was officiated by the mayor.

Our next pair of gay dads come from the world of theater. Jordan Roth is a producer and runs five Broadway theaters. He comes from the billionaire Roth family and went to school in New York City. The Tony Award winner met his husband, talent manager Richie Jackson in 2003. Together, they welcomed son Levi in 2016.

Jordan Roth is also the co-parent of another son with his former partner, actor B.D Wong. Their son, Jackson Foo Wong, is pictured here with baby Levi.

British pop group Steps were huge in Europe in the ’90s. Their number one hits and choreographed routines even landed them a supporting spot for Britney Spears’ 1999 tour. One of their members, Ian Watkins — known as H — is a dad to adorable twin boys.

The Welsh singer and actor welcomed Macsen and Cybi Ryder-Watkins with partner Craig Ryder in 2016. They are no longer together but continue to co-parent their sons. H has recently split from his boyfriend Tom Hope.

When it comes to gay celebrity dads, our next entry are definitely some of the most well-known. American actor Neil Patrick Harris has charmed audiences since he was a child. The star was the first openly gay man to host the Oscars, and has an impressive slew of awards under his belt.

Neil Patrick Harris married actor and chef David Burtka in 2014 in Italy. Before that, in 2010, they welcomed twins — son Gideon Scott, and daughter Harper Grace.

The story of Karamo Brown’s journey to fatherhood is rather emotional. Karamo came out as gay at 16 years old, but it turns out he’d gotten his girlfriend pregnant when he was just 15 years old. However, he didn’t find out until he’d become famous as part of the Fab Five.

When Karamo found out about his son, Jason, he immediately got custody. He then adopted Jason’s half-brother Chris several years later. Karamo was co-parenting with his fiancé Ian Jordan, but the pair has since split.

Former American soccer player Robbie Rogers came out as gay in 2013, becoming the first openly gay man to compete in a major North American sports league. In 2013, he met celebrated TV writer and producer Greg Berlanti, known for Dawson’s Creek, Riverdale, and You. Now, they’re proud dads.

Robbie and Greg welcomed their son Caleb in 2016. They got engaged that same year, and the following year, they were married in Malibu. Their daughter, Mia Barbara Rogers-Berlanti, arrived in 2019.

It’s time for another installment from the world of fashion. This time, it’s Jeremy Brandrick, known for his time on reality series Project Runway. The Birmingham-born designer appeared on the 12th season of the show and now works as a high-end bridal designer in New York.

Jeremy Brandrick and his husband, Adam Morris, are the proud parents of adorable twins Benjamin and Alexandra. We’re particularly fond of little Benjamin’s slogan tee in these pictures — very cool, babe.

Another set of big hitters in the world of celebrity gay dads is Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Justin Mikita. Jesse is best known for playing the uptight Mitchell Pritchett, and has also won awards on Broadway. In 2012, he married lawyer Justin Mikita in Manhattan.

Jesse and Justin welcomed their son, Beckett Mercer Ferguson-Mikita, in 2020. Hilariously, the actor has commented that they’ll be raising their son to be gay until he decides to be straight. He’s been regaling him with show tunes.

We’re staying on Broadway for our next dads, including actor and singer Claybourne Elder. The theater star is currently in a Stephen Sondheim production on Broadway, and has received rave reviews for performances in One Arm, Bonnie & Clyde, and Sunday in the Park With George. On TV, he was Pete O’Malley in The Carrie Diaries.

The talented Claybourne Elder married director Eric Rosen in 2012. They welcomed their son, Claybourne ‘Bo’ Philip Rosen-Elder in 2017. He’s named after six other Claybourne Elders!

When actor Greg Rikaart announced the birth of his son, he made sure to speak up for the LGBTQ community. The soap star married writer Robert Sudduth in 2015, and they welcomed their son in 2016 shortly after the Orlando shootings.

Greg’s caption read, “We fight hate, bigotry, homophobia, and injustice in the world with love and enlightenment. In the truest and most pure definitions of the latter words, it is with full hearts that Rob and I take great pride in introducing our son, Montgomery Argo Rikaart-Sudduth.”

Interior designer Vern Yip has lent his talents to all sorts of TV shows. The Atlanta-based designer’s partner is Craig Koch, the owner of a doggie daycare company. As a result, the couple not only has two adorable kids, but also lots of lovable pets.

Vern and Craig are dads to son Gavin Joshua Mannox, and daughter Vera Lillian Beatrix. They’re also dog dads to two Great Pyrenees and two mutts. The couple’s social media is full of adorable family pics, dogs included.

As if we’d forget to mention iconic gay dads, Elton John and David Furnish. Seriously, can you imagine having the legendary English singer as a dad? The crooner actually bought an entire house to serve as the nursery for his lucky kids!

Elton John has been with Canadian former ad exec and current filmmaker David Furnish since 1993. When equal marriage was legalized, they got hitched in 2014. The husbands have two sons, Zachary Jackson Levon and Elijah Joseph Daniel.

At the top of this image, we have the happy wedding day of author and pundit Dan Jackson and Terry Miller. The couple initially were married in Canada in 2005, and then were part of the first group to get married in Washington State. For their second ceremony, they were joined by their son, D.J.

Dan and Terry adopted D.J. as an infant and the family lived together in a Seattle-area farmhouse. The journalist wrote about his parenting experience in an award-winning book.

Next on our list of celebrity gay dads is actor Cheyenne Jackson and his partner, Jason Landau. Cheyenne has all sorts of Broadway and movie credits but is probably best known for starring in multiple seasons of Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story.

Cheyenne married his second husband, actor Jason Landau in 2014. The couple has gorgeous twins, daughter Willow and son Ethan. The hands-on dads have commented that Ethan is “sensitive, funny, and playful” while Willow “means business.”

While many of the gay dads on this list raise their kids themselves, our next couple still has the biological mom in the picture. And hey, with this much musical talent going around, that sort of makes sense. Singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright had a baby via surrogacy with Lorca Cohen, the daughter of singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen.

Rufus has been married to German artistic director Jörn Weisbrodt since 2012. They reside in The Hamptons, while daughter Viva Katherine Wainwright Cohen lives with her mom.

We’ve had several couples on our list so far that have continued to co-parent despite splitting up. Journalist Anderson Cooper and Benjamin Maisini ended their romantic relationship in 2018, but still decided to co-parent together. The acclaimed commentator adopted son Wyatt in 2020.

Anderson Cooper reflected, “It feels like my life has actually begun, and I sort of wonder, what was I waiting for? This is a new level of love. It’s unlike anything I’ve experienced, and yet it’s also very familiar and incredibly special and intimate.

Let’s step from an American dynasty to a rather different world. Fitness trainer Shaun T has been on all sorts of fitness shows. He’s also the founder of the Insanity exercise program. The buff entrepreneur is married to his business partner, Scott Blokker. After many ups and downs, the couple welcomed twins in 2017.

Shaun and Scott are proud dads to sons Silas Rhys and Sander Vaughn. Shaun has said, “Scott’s dad told me, ‘You’re not coming into the babies’ world. They’re coming into yours.’”

We’ve already had one member of the Fab Five, so why not add another? British-born fashion designer and TV personality Tan France is a citizen of the US. He’s married to pediatric nurse and illustrator Rob France, and together they live in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Tan and Rob welcomed their gorgeous baby boy, Ismail, in 2021. In the announcement of his birth on Instagram, Tan wrote, “Today, we finally got to bring him home. We love him so, so much. Like, fully obsessed.”

We’ve actually already met actor B.D Wong’s son Jackson so far. However, Jackson has plenty of gay dads to go around so it’s only fair to mention these ones too. Jackson is the son of B.D. Wong and talent agent Richie Jackson. They welcomed him in 2000, then ended their romantic relati0nship in 2004.

Despite their marriage breaking down, B.D Wong still co-parents Jackson with his ex. He has since remarried Richert John Frederickson Schnorr. He’s pictured here at Jackson’s graduation.

When gay couple Matt Dallas and Blue Hamilton announced that they had adopted a son, their fans were shell-shocked. American actor Matt married musician Blue in 2015 after five years together. Several months later, they announced on their YouTube channel that they had an addition to the family — two-year-old son Crow.

The couple reported being “giddy” when they found out that Crow would be joining their family. Blue has said, “In the end, this was the family we had imagined in our dreams.”

Fashion stylist Joe Zee has been on our TV screens since the ’80s. The journalist is married to Rob Younkers, the host of Secret Guide to Fabulous. The couple announced the birth of their daughter, Vivian Magic Younkers-Zee, in 2020.

In their Instagram caption Zee wrote, “We are Dads!!! When you think you know what love is, looking into her eyes the moment she came into this world changed all that and we couldn’t be happier, full of hopes and dreams for her.”

We’ve had a few fitness gurus on our list of gay celebrity dads, and it’s about time for another. Joey Gonzalez is the CEO of Barry’s, a boutique fitness brand. Joey and chef husband Jonathan are parents to two gorgeous kiddies — daughter Francesca Isabella, and son Jake Stone.

In a photo of newborn Jake with his dads, Joey Gonzalez wrote, “Grateful for so much today: his life and health, […] and as always, for our right to be married and build the family of our dreams.”

Fans of Tori Spelling’s reality series will be familiar with “Guncles” Bill Horn and Scout Masterson. The pair appeared regularly on the series, acting as uncles for the Spelling-McDermott brood. However, nowadays Bill and Scout are dads to their own kiddies.

The Horn-Masterson family consists of daughter Simone Lynn, and son Bosley Jo. Referring to their time on TV, the couple captioned their birth announcement with, “#TheGuncles fam is NOW 4! THRILLED to share the arrival of our son.”

Lots of the gay fathers on this list have written books, plays, or stand-up sets about their experiences. That includes actor Alec Mapa, who made a stand-up infused documentary to talk about his time as a father.

The actor, comic, and writer married Jamison “Jamie” Hebert in 2008. Together, they adopted son Zion when he was five years old. Speaking about their son, Jamie said, “Not only does he stand up for himself, he is a real advocate for others — especially those that have less than him.”

OK, we’re pretty sure you won’t have heard of these gays, but you should. Tony and Barrie Drewitt-Barlow became famous for being the first gay dads via surrogacy in the UK. In total, they have five children — two sets of identical twins, and a son from a previous relationship.

However, since then, this family unit has become rather confused. Now, Barrie is dating Scott, who was dating his daughter. They all live together, even though Tony and Barrie are still legally married.

Last but not least are interior designers Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent. These two got married in a Manhattan ceremony in 2013. After that, they started to add to their family. First came daughter Poppy in 2015, and then came son Oskar Michael in 2018.

Nate Berkus has admitted that he’s the softer parent. He said, “Jeremiah’s extremely consistent as a parent. He’s the no-snacks-before-dinner parent. I’m like, ‘Well I want some M&M’s too, why can’t we all just have M&M’s?’”