2008 Woodie Awards
Pregnant Man: Could This be True?
Maria Miaoulis
Issue date: 4/14/08 Section: Op-Eds
According to the rules of nature, it is usually the female of a species that has the ability to reproduce. The only exception to this biological principle is a male seahorse. Yet, that is an altogether different topic for discussion.
For humans, it has always been the woman who suffers the agony of childbirth while the man is doing all he can to remain upright in the delivery room. However, in three months' time, this will not be the case. In an American hospital sometime in July, a wife will stand by as her husband gives birth to their daughter. And no, the idea for this feature did not come from the front cover of the National Enquirer.
Thomas Beatie, a 34-year-old transgender man living in Oregon, is currently in his second trimester. His wife, Nancy, inseminated him with sperm purchased from a donor bank. Although Beatie is legally recognized as a man, this unprecedented pregnancy was possible because he still has female reproductive organs.
In an exclusive interview with Oprah Winfrey, Beatie discussed his transformation from Tracy to Thomas after struggling for almost 24 years with gender identity. Despite his foray into beauty pageants and the numerous boyfriends he had up until high school, Beatie felt inhibited by societal expectations of femininity that were thrust upon him.
In college, Beatie began discovering himself. He had his first girlfriend, but an overwhelming sense of masculinity led him to consider becoming fully transgendered. Several years later, he underwent surgery to remove his breasts and started taking testosterone. The hormones deepened his voice, resulted in thin facial hair and even enlarged his clitoris to a small penis. Shyly, he confided to Winfrey that he and his wife are able to have intercourse.
Beatie opted not to have a hysterectomy because he did not wish to eliminate any chance of having his own biological child. Consequently, this is not the first time he has been pregnant. A year ago, he and his wife experienced an ectopic pregnancy.
For humans, it has always been the woman who suffers the agony of childbirth while the man is doing all he can to remain upright in the delivery room. However, in three months' time, this will not be the case. In an American hospital sometime in July, a wife will stand by as her husband gives birth to their daughter. And no, the idea for this feature did not come from the front cover of the National Enquirer.
Thomas Beatie, a 34-year-old transgender man living in Oregon, is currently in his second trimester. His wife, Nancy, inseminated him with sperm purchased from a donor bank. Although Beatie is legally recognized as a man, this unprecedented pregnancy was possible because he still has female reproductive organs.
In an exclusive interview with Oprah Winfrey, Beatie discussed his transformation from Tracy to Thomas after struggling for almost 24 years with gender identity. Despite his foray into beauty pageants and the numerous boyfriends he had up until high school, Beatie felt inhibited by societal expectations of femininity that were thrust upon him.
In college, Beatie began discovering himself. He had his first girlfriend, but an overwhelming sense of masculinity led him to consider becoming fully transgendered. Several years later, he underwent surgery to remove his breasts and started taking testosterone. The hormones deepened his voice, resulted in thin facial hair and even enlarged his clitoris to a small penis. Shyly, he confided to Winfrey that he and his wife are able to have intercourse.
Beatie opted not to have a hysterectomy because he did not wish to eliminate any chance of having his own biological child. Consequently, this is not the first time he has been pregnant. A year ago, he and his wife experienced an ectopic pregnancy.
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