Thomas Beatie was born a woman. “She” turned to “he” through sex-reassignment surgery and hormone treatment, but kept the uterus. Good thing for his family, too, as his wife Nancy was unable to give birth.
The family made news last year when they went on Oprah and in the LGBT magazine The Advocate to announce his pregnancy with the couple’s first child, a girl. They said they made the pregnancy public because,
Hiding a pregnant man is like hiding an 800-pound gorilla. Nancy and I wanted to tell our story from our own mouths before it got out.
Early morning on June 9, the family welcomed a baby boy through natural childbirth. His wife Nancy will breastfeed the child, as she did with their daughter. (Because natural birthing is so fabulous, even men want to do it!)
So how did they do it?
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Thomas Beatie was born Tracy Lagondino, and was once even a Miss Teen Hawaii USA finalist. The beauty dated males through her teen years, but in her 20s, didn’t feel like her gender was female. She started male treatment, had the surgery to remove her breasts, and married Nancy. She even had her gender legally reassigned, so their relationship is legal as man and wife and not as a married lesbian couple.
After their first child was born, they spoke with Barbara Walters on 20/20:
Sexuality is completely different than your gender. I felt more comfortable being the male gender.
While the couple tried for children, Thomas went off the testosterone. The logistics? They actually did the “turkey baster” method. Beatie used donor sperm and Nancy inseminated him with a device she said was like a syringe without the needle. They bought it from a veterinarian and it is typically used to feed birds.
When their daughter was born, Nancy cut the cord. For the newest addition, both dad and son are reportedly healthy.
Of course, many people don’t agree with the couple’s life choices. Nine different OBs refused to help them conceive. And since coming out in public with the first pregnancy, they received hate mail and death threats. The family still receives anonymous hateful messages. Not to mention the rants you’ll find online.
I think that people are not used to seeing the image of a pregnant man. And it’s causing a lot of people to think. … I used my female reproductive organs to become a father.
But they feel that they are a normal family. They live in a neighborhood in Oregon. They want the freedom to live peacefully and happily. Mom breastfeeds, dad changes diapers. They love and care for their children. The only difference is that mom got dad pregnant!
You can find a clip of the “Pregnant Man’s Diary” on YouTube (which does not embed per request).
Image: Nancy and Thomas Beatie
This is so awesome – talk about gender blending! I like fluidity so much better than binary models.
Fascinating article!
This poor guy just can’t stay out of the news. It is a fascinating story, but the media must camp out on his door step.
Good for them! And how interesting.
sorry to say this but this is so wrong and does that make him/ her partner a lesbian as he/she still has female parts. i just think that they have totaly messed up two peoples lives what will they tell them about there birth daddy was a woman he gave birth to you oh yeah shrinks are already rubbing there hands together as they think of the money they will make from those poor messed up kids
Mishsana, I don´t agree with you. Of course it´s going to be hard to explain but those children will grow up with it so it´s going to be normal to them. I think the most important thing for children is to grow up in a loving and honest family no matter if there are 2 mommies, 2 daddies or in this case daddy who gave birth to them. There are children out there who don´t even know their fathers and I think that is much worse then this. I am glad they found a way to have children!
I think that what they did is great. Who are we to judge there lifestyle. I am pretty sure that there are alot of women that wish that they would have done this with there partner or whom ever they are with. Just because its not traditional doesnt mean its not right. I have seen lots of men and women who dont even deserve to have children because they treat them bad and here we have very loving people who are willing to do whatever it takes to become parents and they are being casted out like they are such bad people. all the energy that these negative people have to say bout these people need to direct that energy towards those men and women that hurt, harm and kill children.
I love this so much it makes me want to hug the next person I see!
I believe it’s wrong…Whoever says there’s neither right nor wrong is breeding a false sense of superiority, not the other way round. There are such things that are right and things that are worng. If we erase these concepts from the world, then anything and everything becomes acceptable. Do you susbscribe to that? The point is to know what is right and what is wrong, and not denying that these concepts must be applied. The safest beacon in guiding us through ethical questions has been consdering the fruit of our actions. As someone else rightly said, noone considered the effect of this situation on the minds of two children who, at least, are going to be very confused about the nature of their parents. I’d suggest that every evidence of all this be destroyed so that they should never know. On a personal level, then what I don’t like (which they don’t give a damn of course) is that responsibility id being made a mock here. Even as I make I life changing decision about my life I must keep in mind what it involves and live with its consequences. It was good for the former lady to become a man? So be it. But stick with your choice and be a man: sorry to inform yoiu that men cannot give birth to babies! This keeping a foot in two shoes is perhaps what really discredits them in my eyes.
sorry to inform yoiu that men cannot give birth to babies!
Actually Francesco, I do believe you are wrong.
Furthermore, how do you or anyone else know that they didn’t consider their children? I would venture to assume that this birth was more thought out than most births!
uh… 1001 petals, apparently men can have babies, dipshit! read the fucking atricle!
This is very wrong and this is NOT a man. having some fake parts attached to your body doesn’t make you a man and neither does taking testosterone. Should have thought about the kids before doing this. Their “dad” is really a lady who carried their baby. They ARE lesbians. One should not pretend they are a man or woman if they aren’t.
We seem to live in a society that has a hard time recognizing that neither gender nor sexuality are dichotomies. Everyone has a right to identify their own being. It is great to be loving to others and true to yourselves. http://www.putthisonthemap.org/
Totally wrong.
who ever made this story was only trying to find some readers for his/her story. It is not possible that a man be pregnant.
So, I have some questions, if it’s true?
1- Pregnancy creates when semen comes with females’ seeds. So, how he became pregnant when their is no semen?
2- Here says that Nancy breastfeeds the child, but everyone knows that females can breastfeed the child when they become pregnant. How Nancy breastfeeds the child when she has not passed pregnancy?
3- When child is borned from which part of this man they got the child out, Ass, Or Dick? Both are impossible?
Is this a true story? Come on now! How can a male become pregnant?
Is realy true story ? Is not a good this for men 😉
Is for real?