José Rolón and his three children. (nycgaydad/Instagram)
Single gay dad José Rolón, better known as @nycgaydad on Instagram, longed to be a father but never thought the day would come.
Rolón never expected himself to become a father, as he grew up in an unhappy environment, crushing any dreams he had.
The 44-year-old told Today Parents: “I grew up in a machismo household with a father who yelled at me to ‘walk like a man and not like a f*****.
“If you had pulled me aside and said, ‘One day you’ll have a big, happy family,’ I wouldn’t have believed you.”
Tragedy struck Jose Rolón’s life when his husband died in his sleep, leaving him as a widower and single father.
Years later, and Rolón and his husband, Tim Merrell, were new fathers of their infant Avery, while their surrogate for twins Lilah and London was 11 weeks pregnant.
Merrell tragically died in his sleep in 2013, leaving Rolón to raise his three children alone.
“My husband and I were a great team,” he said, “I couldn’t imagine doing it without him.
“But on the morning of Tim’s funeral service, I woke up and I thought, ‘Avery just lost his father. What if something were to happen to me?’ I didn’t want to leave him alone in this world. I knew what I was supposed to do.”
Countless loved ones of Rolón sought to help him during the trying time: “It really does take a village,” he said.
“They [Rolón’s children] have each other and we all have each other,” he said. “I went from being this loner in the world to having a full, abundant family.”
He explained that was one of the main reasons why he started posting content on social media, showcasing his beautiful family: seven-year-old son, Avery, and six-year-old twin daughters, Lilah and London.
NYC gay dad keeps his content light-hearted and makes light out of gay stereotypes.
With 24,300 followers on Instagram and a whopping 137,400 followers on TikTok, the social media gay dad posts content in the hopes of entertaining his fans.
Rolón explained that his content has helped many of his followers through personal struggles, and even been helpful in educating parents with LGBT+ children.
“I want LGBTQ youth to know that there’s hope.
“I get messages from moms all the time that are like, ‘My son is 13 and he’s gay and really struggling. Thank you for showing him what’s possible.’”