The world's first pregnant man about to give birth.

[pegkerr]

Here is a fascinating article about Thomas Beatie, a transgender married man living in Oregon. He had not removed his reproductive organs when his gender was reassigned about a decade ago, and he and his wife decided that he would carry their (artificially inseminated) child, because his wife had previously had a hysterectomy. He has faced stiff resistance from many, including doctors who have refused to treat him, but he and his wife have gone ahead, and he is due in about six weeks. It was apparently a shock to his neighbors and his wife's family, who were not even aware that he was transgender.

The comments on the article are fascinating as well; some supportive and some refusing to recognize Mr. Beatie is a man and railing against his "unnatural" condition.

Good luck to you and your wife, Mr. Beatie, and I wish the best to you and your baby girl.

And it's awfully fun to see a picture of a pregnant man (with a beard).

Here's another article, too, with more pictures.

Comments

[wild-irises.livejournal.com]

Fascinating!

[mizzlaurajean.livejournal.com]

It is a little hard to wrap ones brain around. I know when I found out he was transgender I was like oh that's so not the same as someone born as a man having a baby. I'm not sure it matters just that was my reaction. I can understand why this would be challenging for family especially older relatives.
I wish them all luck mostly their child that will not be easy.

[rachet.livejournal.com]

We discussed this in our Biology class a couple weeks ago and watched their Oprah episode.

They showed pictures of him as a beauty queen when he was a teenager. It was interesting.

[norabombay.livejournal.com]

I find it to be fascinating. And I'm suspecting that it may wind up resulting in a bit of a science fiction them for a few years.

[mayakda.livejournal.com]

They were on a tv morning show a month or so ago and it was a great opportunity to talk to my kids. Their reaction was "that's weird!" I told her that it is different, and a lot of people do think it's weird, and that I was very impressed by their courage to do what they believe in doing despite that. And I tried to get them to talk about that kind of courage to be different. It was an interesting conversation while driving to school.

Pardon the minor essay

[barondave.livejournal.com]

There is a difference between sexual identity and gender identity. He can call himself a "man" all he wants. I'll support his right to do so, up to and including the right to marry a woman. But more or less by definition, the female of the species bears the young. If he's having the kid, he's a female. It's not really a problem for me, since I believe up to six impossible things before breakfast even if I get up early.

Re: Pardon the minor essay

[cakmpls.livejournal.com]

I think you touch an important point. (I started to write more, then decided to put it in my own LJ.)

Re: Pardon the minor essay

[mizzlaurajean.livejournal.com]

yes until that is men born genetically male can bear young. But then wouldn't they be hermaphrodites?

Re: Pardon the minor essay

[barondave.livejournal.com]

Generally, hermaphrodites (or intersexuals, as they call themselves) are incapable of reproduction. That doesn't apply in this case. Beatie was born a woman and decided to become a man. Again, "male" for gender purposes, while still "female" for sexual purposes.

I'd like to talk to the kid in about 15 years.

Re: Pardon the minor essay

[mizzlaurajean.livejournal.com]

right I get it. But for a man to reproduce they would have to either be hermaphrodites that could reproduce or some completely new version of "man"
I think baby makin men is scientifically more likely to happen sooner then some new man hybrid.

I'm all in favor of men growing people. Boy would that change maternity leave among so many other things.....

Re: Pardon the minor essay

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

Beatie was born a woman and decided to become a man.

As I understand it, Beatie might argue that he didn't "decide" to become a man. He already was a man, at least in the way his brain organizes itself--the deep structure of the brain, its sense of itself, perhaps due to the effect of hormones from his mother upon his developing brain when he was in utero. This is the case even if he was born with female organs. The gender reassignment surgery was simply getting his body to align with what his brain (the primary sexual organ, after all) said he was.

Re: Pardon the minor essay

[satakieli.livejournal.com]

I'd like to talk to the kid in about 15 years.

Well, I predict that he or she will say the 15-years-future colloquial equivalent of "God! My parents are so humiliating! I can't believe they would do that to me!" Making him or her oh-so-different from every other 15-year-old on the planet.

Re: Pardon the minor essay

[barondave.livejournal.com]

Oh, 15 year olds have different ways of rebelling. I should think this kid has a more interesting story than most.

Re: Pardon the minor essay

[trogon.livejournal.com]

Several people have commented already on the main issue here (and personally, I think it's rather cruel to privilege a linguistic point over someone's identity, and use scare-quotes around "man" to refer to him), but what should being a man have to do with having the right to marry a woman?

Re: Pardon the minor essay

[barondave.livejournal.com]

Perhaps it shouldn't, but it does. That's how the law works.

I must say, that's an incredibly stupid comment. A complete non-sequitur; you don't even know what scare quotes are. Consider yourself ignored.

Re: Pardon the minor essay

[trogon.livejournal.com]

Well, you were the one to bring up the issue of "up to and including the right to marry a woman" -- I assumed it mattered to you. Apologies for the misunderstanding on that issue.

As for scare quotes, I stand by my usage -- you say "man" as though you don't really agree with the terminology (i.e. that Mr. Beatie is not a man, but a "man".)

Re: Pardon the minor essay

[diatryma.livejournal.com]

Would it make a difference if the pregnancy were ectopic? I have heard but not experimentally confirmed that if you inject a zygote into the abdominal cavity, it'll grow just fine and can be delivered by C-section. I would expect more complications than an in utero pregnancy, but that would make a born-male man capable of carrying a child, or a woman whose uterine situation was suboptimal.

Re: Pardon the minor essay

[barondave.livejournal.com]

He could be Governator of California!

Re: Pardon the minor essay

[http://users.livejournal.com/anam_cara_/]

I agree with cakmpls, you have hit upon some important points here, regarding sexual identity and gender identity. (and I understand your use of quotes as well)

You mentioned wanting to speak with the child in 15 years, however, I REALLY far more interested, from a psychological standpoint, what Thomas will be going through- pregnancy is a pretty overwhelming, and life-altering experience, it makes every mother question themselves and their identity, and I imagine it will be even moreso for Thomas, and all the more difficult to finally consolidate his selfview, beyond sexual and gender identity, and even parental identity.

Re: Pardon the minor essay

[barondave.livejournal.com]

what Thomas will be going through- pregnancy

Indeed. I'm guessing (with no real information) that Thomas won't be breast feeding. I wonder if he'll get post-partum depression? What if it's a C-Section? And what if he decides to have another kid?

I'm further assuming that they thought a lot about the issues before going ahead, and are prepared for many of them. Still. the spotlight will be on the family for many years to come. Notoriety itself, without any of the other issues in play, has been known to tear apart families. I wish them well.

Re: Pardon the minor essay

[http://users.livejournal.com/anam_cara_/]

Notoriety itself, without any of the other issues in play, has been known to tear apart families.

I am watching many of my friends and peers becoming parents right now, and am shock how much just new parenthood can tear apart couples. It seems to be such emotional and psychological upheaval for all of them. Don't get me wrong, I went through it also, and did get a divorce, but I had attributed all of what I went through on being too young, and not having had a long, strong relationship foundation, it's shocking to see people I admire for making all the right choices in life, who've been partners for so long, be just as thrown as I was 15 years ago in a completely different situation.

[bohemianspirit.livejournal.com]

I read the article in People a few weeks back, and I confess my first thought upon seeing the headline was: MPREG: It's not just for fanfic, anymore!

Getting to know someone who is transgender helped me to better understand what it means to be transgender, versus simply being a "feminine" man or a "masculine" woman. As I understand it, it's not just about claiming gendered attributes, but borne of a fundamental sense of one's sex, experiencing and alleviating dissonance between the internal sense and the external physical reality.

Best of all is to try to stop categorizing people and just let them be. ;-) As long as they are loving and caring people who do their best to do well by their child, that's what really matters.