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After Orlando, 21 photos of gay dads and their kids to help you smile again

These Father's Day photos of gay dads and their families show that love comes in all forms.
/ Source: TODAY

It takes a special kind of commitment for gay men to become parents, which is one reason they deserve to be celebrated this Father's Day. What's more, many gay couples adopt from the foster care system, helping hard-to-place kids find permanent homes.

To honor these devoted dads — and provide some uplift after the tragedy in Orlando — we've collected 21 photos of thriving families from the website Gays With Kids. These dads span the globe and show that love comes in all forms.

And if you really want to pull out the tissues, check out Gays With Kids' series "Then and Now" about how some of these families came to be!

1.

Gay dads on beach
Anwar and Patrick with Ravi and Zora in Oakland, California.Gays With Kids

2.

Gay dads
Brian and Alberto with Nico in Illinois.Gays With Kids

RELATED: Curious about adopting from foster care? Here's what it's really like

3.

Gay dads
Matthew and Harold with Randall, Jeremy and Mattie in Newton, Massachusetts.Gays With Kids

4.

Gay dads
Robert and John with Julianne and Jack in New York City.Gays With Kids

RELATED: My Two Dads: Gay Fathers Have Much to Celebrate

5.

Gay dads
Justin and Brian with Trenton in San Pablo, California.Gays With Kids

6.

Gay dads
Juan and Patrick with Lorenzo, Liam, Lily and Leo in Florida.Gays With Kids

7.

Gay dads
Michael and Vincent with Lydia and Kian in New Jersey.Gays With Kids

8.

Gay dads
Ben and Chet with Emma, Sophia and Dominic in Minneapolis.Gays With Kids

9.

Gay dads
Armin and Joe with their twins in Boston.Gays With Kids

10.

Gay dads
Darrin and Sandy with Reichen, Sophie, Wolfgang, Ava and Michaela in Nova Scotia, Canada.Gays With Kids

11.

Gay dads
Josh and Stephen with Rowen in Portland, Maine.Gays With Kids

12.

Gay dads
James and Jimmy with Hayden James in Castro Valley, California.Gays With Kids

RELATED: Happy Father's Day! Laugh with the funniest dads on Facebook this week

13.

Gay dads
Michael and Steve with Serenity, Emilio, Yasmin and Billy in Colorado.Gays With Kids

14.

Gay dads
Jonathan Doria Pamphilj and Elson Braga with Emily and Filippo Andrea in Rome, Italy.Gays With Kids

15.

Gay dads
Jason and Patrick with Marian and Betty in Charlottesville, Virginia.Gays With Kids

16.

Gay dads
Dell and Robert with Heiress in Tennessee.Gays With Kids

RELATED: 'The man who taught me how to love': 7 timeless quotes about fatherhood

17.

Gay dads
Todd and Javier with Tatiana and Ethan in Denver, Colorado.Gays With Kids

18.

Gay dads
Brian and Ferd with Sadie, Levi and Ella in Toronto.Gays With Kids

19.

Gay dads
Jay and Alvin with Preston in Bethesda, Maryland.Gays With Kids

20.

Gay dads
JR and Jim with triplets Campbell, Travis and Piper in Los Angeles.Gays With Kids

21.

Gay dads
Mark and Lance with Beckett in Columbus, Ohio.Gays With Kids