The Dads

Retreat

A gathering for fathers of transgender and gender-expansive children—designed for connection, reflection, and real support.

Four diverse friends taking a selfie together outdoors; one is making a peace sign. They are smiling and appear happy.

What is the

Dads Retreat? 

The Dads Retreat is the Foundation’s cornerstone gathering, bringing fathers together in an intentionally designed space for learning, emotional restoration, and community.

Over the course of three days, dads participate in facilitated conversations, shared meals, workshops, outdoor experiences, and quiet reflection. The retreat is grounded in honesty, respect, and mutual support—creating space for fathers to show up fully, ask hard questions, and build lasting connections with others who understand this journey.

A person in a blue jacket walking in a forested area with tall trees and a wooden cabin in the background.

Why the Retreat Matters

The Dads Retreat offers something rare: a space where vulnerability is welcomed, strength is redefined, and no one has to explain why they’re there. Time and again, dads describe the retreat as a turning point—not because it provides all the answers, but because it reminds them they are not alone.

Group of people standing outdoors with arms around each other's shoulders, focused on a shared activity or moment.

Upcoming Retreat:

LOcation to be announced - May 2027

This three-day gathering will include facilitated fatherhood circles, workshops, time outdoors, and opportunities for rest and connection. Programming is designed to support both personal growth and collective strength, while honoring the diverse experiences dads bring with them.

Visit this page soon to learn about our 2027 Retreat.

Past Retreats

Two cars parked on a rocky terrain near a river at sunset, with a person standing near the river and a warning sign

The Dads Retreat 2022: Broken Bow, Oklahoma

  • In March 2022, five fathers of trans children join Dennis Shepard – the father of Matthew Shepard – for a weekend fishing trip where they find common ground across racial, geographical and generational lines: their unconditional love for their children.

A landscape with a mountain in the background, a forest at the base, and a body of water in the foreground, under a cloudy sky.

The Dads Retreat 2024: Bangor, Maine

  • In 2024, twelve fathers gathered at Buckhorn Camps for the Dads Retreat, a powerful weekend of connection, reflection, and renewal. Three fathers from the original retreat returned, joined by nine new dads, creating an intergenerational brotherhood grounded in shared experience and mutual support.

    Set against the quiet beauty of the Maine woods, the retreat offered space to slow down, tell the truth about fatherhood, and build lasting bonds—reminding every dad there that none of us are meant to do this work alone.

A lakeside view with sandy beach and green grass. Two large trees frame the scene on either side. The lake stretches out with small waves, under a bright blue sky with scattered white clouds.

The Dads Retreat 2025: Janesville, Minnesota

  • During Pride 2025, eighteen dads and male caregivers gathered at the Metta Meditation Center, located on the serene shores of Lake Elysian, just outside Janesville, Minnesota. Over three days, we stepped away from our routines and into the tranquility of nature, allowing the lakeside trails, modest halls, and shared silence to guide our collective breath.

    Whether journaling in solitude, engaging in deep conversations, or simply sitting in stillness, each of you showed up—and that presence became your practice. From the grounded calm found in walking barefoot to the breath we shared through glances across campfires, every moment invited us to return to honesty, joy, and kinship.

    This retreat was not about escape; it was about connection: to ourselves, to one another, and to the intentional and courageous journey of caregiving for our trans and gender-expansive children. From this quiet space, seeds of new stories began to take root.