'Level of abuse we've received for being gay dads is pretty disturbing'

A couple campaigning to change the law on surrogacy in the UK said they have received "vile abuse" for being two dads in the wake of the Preston Davey case.

Adam Frisby and Jamie Corbett, who welcomed their daughter Leven via a surrogate in January, said the couple had received more than a thousand abusive and homophobic messages in the past 24 hours.

It follows the sentencing of Jamie Varley, who was convicted of sexually abusing and murdering his adopted son Preston in a case that has shocked the country.

Varley was told he would spend the rest of his life in prison after being given a whole life order.

His partner John McGowan-Fazakerley, who was convicted of sexual assault, child cruelty and allowing the death of Preston, was sentenced to 25 years.

In an Instagram post, Adam, who was visibly emotional in the video, said: "What happened with baby Preston is so tragic and so disturbing that it's affected everyone including me and Jamie.

"I hope those two rot in hell.

"But the level of abuse we have received for being gay dads is pretty disturbing.

"I've not even been able to open an app without seeing comparisons and how our daughter needs to be protected and how people petition against what we have been campaigning for."

Earlier this year, the couple, from Bolton, Greater Manchester, launched a petition to change the law so that intended parents in surrogacy arrangements are recognised as their child's legal parents from birth.

Under UK law, their surrogate, who is not genetically related to Leven, would be her legal parent at birth.

This is despite one of the couple being biologically related to the child.

Within 48 hours, the petition had more than 100,000 signatures and will now be debated in parliament.

"We've tried so hard over the last few months to campaign for change and make a difference for families like ours and our daughter," said Adam, the co-founder of clothing brands Reasn and Deserve and former founder of In The Style.

"It just feels like such a kick in the teeth that I know now for sure that this law will not change because so many people have just turned the tide on gay parents because of this.

"And for us, it's heartbreaking and it's heartbreaking for me that my daughter is going to grow up in a world where families like hers feel less valued because they've got gay parents

"You would never have a heterosexual person do something like this and compare every heterosexual family to that same person – it just would not happen."

In the social media video, he said same-sex families should not be defined by one incident.

"If you are genuinely one of those people that looks at same sex-parents and think that they are doing something wrong or they are in the same comparison as those two people then that is outright homophobia," he said.

"You are homophobic.

"A tragedy like that should of course make us question how children are protected better but it should not be an excuse to target families like ours online."

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