For real. A man named Thomas Beatie is going to have a baby. And no, not in some Gloria Steinem alternate reality. Beatie, Popular Fidelity reports, was born a woman, but had gender reassignment surgery. His wife couldn't get pregnant, but he still could. So now the child's father will be the one to give birth.
And now a word from Thomas:
How does it feel to be a pregnant man? Incredible. Despite the fact that my belly is growing with a new life inside me, I am stable and confident being the man that I am. In a technical sense I see myself as my own surrogate, though my gender identity as male is constant. To Nancy, I am her husband carrying our child-I am so lucky to have such a loving, supportive wife. I will be my daughter's father, and Nancy will be her mother. We will be a family.
More power to them. People are sure to call this situation freakish, but the family actually sounds pretty suburban and normal except for this one challenge to traditional new-baby protocol (we see Miss Manners adjusting her baby shower etiquette chapter). We know families way wackier, and in far less ground-breaking ways.
Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 3)
1. What next???
Ray Larson at 1:56PM on Mar 24th 2008
2. Finally,"If Men could"....STFU.......
Creeepy!
Krautknabe at 2:16PM on Mar 24th 2008
3. Wow! There's how I can avoid having to give birth to my own children- I just need a husband with a uterus. Brilliant!
D Wit at 2:32PM on Mar 24th 2008
4. Morally speaking,this is insane.Practically speaking,it makes sense.For example,in the future,we are going to master deep space flight.And if an accident happens to a pregnant woman on board,and there is no compatible host for the fetus,the next available male might do the trick.
That said,a man ain't well equiped to carry a baby.That is why i envy women.They strong!
aniekan thomas at 2:55PM on Mar 24th 2008
5. I don't see how someone can have "gender reassignment" surgery and still be able to get pregnant. Did "he" continue to menstruate after the surgery?
GM at 3:49PM on Mar 24th 2008
6. wow.
this is kinda cool.
I'm very happy for them.
CONGRATS!!!
marizzle at 5:00PM on Mar 24th 2008
7. He is an intersexed person. These are people born with ambiguous genitalia. They are not hermaphrodites. For "cosmetic" and psychological (for the parents and, the doctors believed, for the child)surgeons "reassigned" the child to whatever attribute was most pronounced. So this male born female may have one testis and one ovary or ovateste. Her uterus remained intact. Yet she was reassigned as male most probably via surgical "correction." This man-father/mother is an exceptional human being in so many ways. He is comfortable with his identity, he is forthcoming in his mother role and proud of it. This my equivalency of a hero. A person who has extraordinary courage in living his life in a world, society, culture that is formulated to accept 2 genders. And two only. Living life on his terms and damn the rest of em is not only laudable, precocious and affirming, it makes this person into another archetype, a model of self-acceptance amidst formidable odds. His strength, his wife's strength will, hopefully, be passed on to their daughter. That we live in a world that is not the monolith we believe it to be. This man, his family inspire us all lto be more courageous in living our lives,
boredwell at 6:20AM on Mar 25th 2008
8. Wacky! Okay, it's a tranny, not REALLY a man. Now I want to see the movie Junior.
Mokele-Mobembe at 9:07AM on Mar 25th 2008
9. When Thomas transformed from female to male, he only had his breasts removed. He chose to keep his female reproductive parts. He has no penis. He stopped menstrating for 8 years but after stopping his male hormones, his periods resumed enabling him to become pregant using donated sperm. He is not intersex. He is scheduled to be on Oprah sometime in the first of April. Hopefully he will clear some of the speculation up. I fully support them! I think its a wonderful committment of love for his wife and their child.
Becky at 11:13AM on Mar 25th 2008
10. This is very interesting - good luck and congrats!
Vanessa,
http://www.crossdresserheaven.com
Vanessa at 11:26AM on Mar 25th 2008
11. Wow,Was that the same Boredwell?
The Epitome of the Anglo Male double standard, "Daddy's little Girl", "The law/principle only applies to Men","All Men are Animals and out for the Cootch", "Any man over 30 who dares to be Human and demonstrate any sense of Normalcy or Humanity outside of the prescribed Societal and Cultural rules is a Pervert and a Sex Offender!","Queen Victoria lives and Rules forever" who wrote #7?
I don't know whether to be shocked, impressed or dubious.....
Krautknabe at 2:49PM on Mar 25th 2008
12. It's a good thing this father still had intact uterus and ovaries. One thing that baffles me about gender reassignment is why people remove perfectly good reproductive equipment, when it's not necessary for their social identity. For instance, why do some transgenderd women mutilate their functional penis, only to continue in a "lesbian" relationship? This loving, commited couple using what works, regardless of sexual identity, seem to demonstrate more courage.
Humans are all somewhere on a gender continuum. Every fetus starts out female. There is little difference betwen the largest clitoris and the smallest penis. How many women battle facial hair? Do more men need masectomies, if flat chested women need implants to fit sexual ideals? Sexual orientation and gender identity may be more relevant than conforming to societies physical gender characteristics.
wizcrone at 5:31PM on Mar 25th 2008
13. WHEN I FIRST READ THE HEADLINE, I THOUGHT THAT HILLARY CLINTON HAD ONCE AGAIN "SCREWED" HER HUSBAND, SLICK WILLIE.
gonefishin at 9:39PM on Mar 25th 2008
14. "Morally speaking,this is insane." --Aniekan
________________
Yes...the desire for procreation is ALWAYS morally insane!
Paul at 10:06PM on Mar 25th 2008
15. I ran into a friend from high school yesterday, he had just gotten a sex change( from male to female). He looked kind of cute.
I asked him if it hurt when they cut off his penis?
He said " yeah, but that was not the most painfull part"
I asked " was it the vaginaplasty?
He said " that, too, hurt, but that was not the most painful part."
I said "Man, I can't imagine what could hurt worse than those two things, what could it have been?"
He said, slowly,....." When they cut open my head and sucked out half my brain!"
mac at 11:29PM on Mar 25th 2008