The Pregnant “Man”
I’ve been meaning to write on this for a while. I first heard about the pregnant man from a straight friend at work. My first question was: Is he transgendered? My friend said she didn’t know.
I then read the article in the Advocate and had a gazillion thoughts on it. Last night my friend C was over and said that the pregnant man was on Oprah. So I thought I’d better get my ass in gear and write this blog.
Thomas is transgendered female to male, and pregnant. Thomas identifies as male. Here’s my hang up: If you thought all of your life you were male, identified as male, and are transgendered and want to be male, why are you pregnant?
Perhaps I’m not getting it. I don’t know many men who would want to have a baby in their body. I understand that Thomas’s wife couldn’t get pregnant so he stopped taking his hormones so he could. But what man has that option? It seems to me that Thomas wants to have his cake and eat it, too.
I thought someone was transgendered because they always felt they were in the wrong body. That they wanted to be a man,and they felt like a man. My concern is this: does Thomas getting pregnant set back the transgendered cause?
Now with all the hype surrounding Thomas Beatie it seems to have become a side show. I know this is going to sound harsh, but is Thomas really a man? In my opinion no. Perhaps at one point Thomas was male, he passed as a male, wanted to be male, but men don’t get pregnant.
Right now, to me, it feels a bit like a freak show and should be titled: Bearded Lady Has Baby.
Filed under: THURSDAY--GLBT information and news | Tagged: bisexual, gay, homosexual, Lesbian, queer, sex change, Thomas Beatie, transgendered
I agree, this is not a male that is pregnant, this is a female that want’s to be a male. Male’s can not carry a baby, that is a fact. This story makes no sense to me. Why is the media even broadcasting such nonsense.
Couldn’t have said it better myself!
Agreed. This will only give fodder to people who make the argument that being gay, lesbian, or transgendered is a choice or a “lifestyle”
i think your blog is stupid. if you dont believe a man can get pregnant than why wont you go get a uterous and try it if it really works. are you a real man? maybe you are scare of what your friends will say about you. but for thomas beatie he is man enough to tell it all.
Now for those of you who knows what is called “Transgender”, is it a reality?
There seem to be a few judgmental statements here…
Many FTM (Female to Male) trans people do not have bottom (genital) surgery, as the quality of phallus that can be created is not really all that good or functional - as far as I have heard… so there are varying degrees as to how much surgery these guys have.
I think one underlying concept that may be difficult for some people is the separation of gender and physical sex.
This person in question is biologically female, yet identifies as, presents as, and performs in society as a man (gender).
Can a biological (chromosomaly) female be a man?
Can a biologically fully functioning female be a man?
Can a biological (chromosomaly) male be a woman?
Can a biologically fully functioning male be a woman?
Can gender be divorced from physical sex?
What is gender? What is sex? What is self awareness?
What is the human experience?
wow…looks like you’re gonna get some lively comments here…I’m glad you cleared the facts up. The “what the fuck” factor was super high for me too.
AN, Just like Thomas, I am ‘man’ enough to express my self. Did it here. p.s. I have a uterus.
FRESH, not sure I understand you. Thanks for taking time to comment.
MEKAT, I was expressing my opinion. Most opinions can sound judgemental. Thomas doesn’t perform in society as a man if he gets pregnant.
THE HOSTESS, yeah, expressing an opinion that isn’t popular gets some nice comments. When talking with my friends they agreed with me but don’t want to say anything because it isn’t the popular opinion and seems closed minded. My concern is what does this do for the transgendered cause?
Does Thomas “want to have his cake and eat it?” I dunno maybe - or maybe he is just doing his girlfriend a huge favour.
Does Thomas getting pregnant set back the transgendered cause? Well maybe it sets back his own cause to be taken seriously as a man, but only the right-wing bigots of talk radio are gonna assume that this means all F2M transexuals want to be mothers and all M2F want to be fathers (biologically speaking). And even if they did, so what?
Aside from the backward details of the birth what is going to be so different about this child’s life or the child of any other transsexual couple? Two loving parents, a mom and a dad, minor detail dad started life as a women and provided the womb. Apart from the potential of other people’s prejudices what impact is this going to have on the child’s life?
None.