Clifford & Stefan

About Us

Cliff here! I emigrated from Hong Kong to Canada with my parents and older brother when I was a child, and I was a shy kid growing up. I had a a lot of artistic talents that my family fostered and I eventually went to university for animation. I grew more confident with myself as I became more comfortable with my sexuality and especially after meeting Stefan. It wasn’t until my first job at a games studio that I really came into my own and found a joy in project management and working with other people, which is why I love my current job! I’m a mobile games producer, and I oversee and manage all the live events for an interior design game. I work with a wonderful team of driven, creative people who keep things fun. Stefan here! I was born in St. John’s, Newfoundland, the youngest of two siblings.  I have a close relationship with my older sister, who has always been a great support and best friend.  I moved away from home in my early teens to train as a competitive figure skater, and turned my passion for the sport into a short professional career.  I skated on cruise ships and in European ice shows before deciding to get a degree in theatre technical production.  Since then, I’ve worked as a tailor on many large theatre productions and Hollywood films; seeing my work on stage and screen is always gratifying!  I was also a shy child, but it wasn’t until I came out and was confident on who I am that I became more outgoing. We met in Toronto about 20 years ago and have had many “fairytale moments” in our relationship. From Cliff coming out to his high school by bringing Stefan to prom, getting engaged during a beautiful sunset in the Greek islands, to getting married “at home” in St. John’s and having the most incredible wedding day! Our relationship has brought so much love, joy and growth to one another. Cliff enjoys Olympic weightlifting, and he loves anything sci-fi, from movies to books to video games. Stefan loves the outdoors: camping, sailing, and swimming in the ocean. He also enjoys architecture, the science of space, and cars. We both really like art, British TV and film, concerts and theatre, and we love food and trying new cuisines.  Speaking of food, experiencing the food culture of a particular place is our favourite thing to do when we travel, and travelling is something we LOVE to do! It’s fun, exciting, and an education like no other: it helps us grow more empathetic as we experience first-hand how people around the world live their lives. One of our most exciting adventures was quitting our jobs and backpacking through Europe! We travelled for three months across five countries and ended up in London, England, where we lived for three years before coming back to Canada and settling down in Toronto, where we are excited to grow our family!

Our Home & Community

We recently moved into a brand new house, one that we are super excited about because it was love at first sight!  It felt right, and had a great sense of a warm home, even before we moved in.  We are really happy to have made it a home we are very comfortable in!  With that in mind, we want to make sure our child or children always feel like they are in a warm, welcoming, happy, loving home, no matter what age they are.

We live in a quiet neighbourhood in the west side of midtown Toronto.  We aren’t far from all the great entertainment and cultural things that Toronto has to offer, but we are tucked away from all the busyness of the city.  There are many schools, a fantastic new recreation centre, an ice rink, soccer and baseball fields, and parks, all a short walk away.  We have wonderful neighbours that we have become very friendly with; we like to know the people around us, and not just live our home, but live in a community.  We really enjoy having friends, family or our neighbours over for dinner, especially backyard BBQ’s in the summer!  Our neighbourhood is filled with people from many different places and cultures, and that is something we enjoy being a part of; we try to experience all the cultural festivals, food, and fun that happens in Toronto.

We like to go to art galleries, art fairs, and museums, as well as street festivals, like those in Greektown, Little Italy, and Chinatown. We also love to hang out, eat, and shop in Kensington market. In the summer, we go for walks and bike rides by the lake; we also like to rent a cottage and go camping a few times a year (usually with Stefan’s sister and her family), and we try to get at least one ski trip in each winter.

We try to see our friends and family as much as possible, while still having quality time for ourselves.  We go to Cantonese dinners and dim sum with Cliff’s family; (his mother, brother, sister-in-law and two nieces, and aunts, uncles and cousin).  Seeing Stefan’s family is a little trickier since not many of them live as close, but we go to Ottawa a few times a year to see his sister and her family (brother-in-law and niece and nephew), and an aunt and uncle. We have many friends that have kids of all ages, from newborns to teenagers.  This has given us so many wonderfully adorable moments, but also a lot of invaluable insight from observing our friends parent their kids.  We understand that it’s not just parents who have a major positive influence on a child, but everyone around them, especially those close to them.  As the saying goes, “it takes a village”! We have always been part of the village that helps, and when we hopefully become parents, we know we can reach out for support from our fellow villagers.

Our Thoughts about Parenting & Adoption

As parents, we want to raise a child who is compassionate, has a grounded sense of humour, the courage to be themselves, genuinely enjoys what they do for a living, and who has a lifelong curiosity to explore.

We want raise a child who treats others equitably. Someone who knows that no matter our differences—such as our race, religion, ethnicity—we are all humans that deserve happiness and respect. We intend to exemplify empathy and compassion as we bring up our child.

We want to raise a child who is able to say “sorry”; someone who is not too proud to admit when they’re wrong, or when they’ve hurt someone’s feelings. Someone who is down-to-earth and can laugh at themselves.

We want to raise a child who can stay true to themselves. As gay men, we have an innate understanding of how important this is. Even though being true to yourself might be uncomfortable or challenging, it’s worth it and gives us a healthier, more fulfilling way to live. As parents, we will be there to support our child and their right to be themselves.

We want to raise a child with a spirit of adventure. We think a curiosity for healthy exploration is essential, and we intend to promote it throughout our child’s life.

As kids, we had opportunities to try many extracurricular activities, such as piano, skating, hockey, swimming, drawing, and even balloon animal making! We would encourage our child to try as many activities as they like, because being active is instrumental in a child’s development. We also believe that arts, culture, the outdoors, physical activity, and exploration are also crucial to a child’s development.

We’re really looking forward to creating special moments as a family and making happy memories for our child to last a lifetime. Whether it’s something big like going to Disney World, or something simple like hot chocolate after playing out in the snow or a cuddle and bedtime story, we are excited to build and cherish wonderful moments together.

We’ve always considered adoption as our first option to starting a family. We firmly believe that blood relation is not a requirement to form, nurture, and grow a family, and know in our hearts that we will love our child as fiercely and unconditionally as any biological parent.

Openness is something we welcome with open arms. We understand how important it is for the child’s wellbeing that they know who they are, where they come from, their cultural and ethnic roots. We want to make sure that the child’s adoption story is part of their consciousness, and that we provide them the love and support they need. We want to guide them to discover aspects of their story as they grow and their curiosity deepens. Their adoption journey must be nurtured and talked about in a positive way throughout their life. We would encourage an ongoing relationship between them and their birth parent(s) to foster a healthy and enriching self-identity.

Closing Thoughts

Thank you for reading our profile!

We hope we were able to give a sense of who we are, the kind of parents we would be, and paint a vivid picture of the life we could provide for your child. Hopefully, our profile also gave you some guidance to making the right decision for your child, whether you end up choosing us or someone else. We hope you’re comfortable with, excited by, and confident about your choice.

We know that adoption process doesn’t end when a match is made, but that it is a lifelong journey for both the child and the parents. We are fortunate to live in a city where there are many organizations that offer help, counselling, and social groups for parents who have adopted, and for children who have been adopted. We plan to take full advantage of these programs to help us continually learn and grow as adoptive parents, to provide support for our child, and to empower them to be comfortable and happy in their life and about their adoption story.

We understand that adoption isn’t about just raising a child. Adoption brings with it many nuances and obstacles that we as parents will have to navigate along with the child. We are fully committed to tackling these challenges head-on and ensuring that our child has a confident sense of self, and that our family is happy, fulfilled, safe, and strong.

Every child deserves to be loved and to grow up in a loving home. We are excited and ready to devote our hearts to loving and providing for our child! Having a child isn’t about how they will fit into our lives, but how they will become our lives. We look forward to showing them the world—sharing wonderful experiences, learning new things, and building lifelong memories as a family—and we can’t wait to immerse ourselves in fatherhood and give them all the love and affection in the world!

If you have any questions or would like to know more, please reach out! We wish you strength, support, and comfort on your journey to finding a family for your child.