Thomas Beatie, the “pregnant man” who became famous after appearing on Oprah, has given birth to a daughter, according to several media outlets. TMZ reports that Beatie checked into a hospital in Bend, Oregon on Monday under a fake name. His room was “sealed off” from the pregnant women, and he gave birth late sometime on Monday. Beatie and his wife Nancy haven’t released any official statement, so we don’t yet know the name or other stats of the child.
It’s a girl for the “pregnant man.”
Thomas Beatie, who was impregnated after changing genders but keeping his female reproductive organs, delivered a healthy baby daughter Thursday, ABC News reported.
The 34-year-old transgendered man revealed his pregnancy in April, setting off an international furor. He underwent surgery for breast removal and began taking male hormones years ago. The man with the wispy beard also legally changed his gender from male to female, married a woman and led his life as a man.
But Beatie retained the female organs he was born with with the intention of one day getting pregnant. “I feel it’s not a male or female desire to have a child,” he told Oprah Winfrey. “It’s a human need. I’m a person and I have the right to have a biological child.”
He was reportedly scheduled for a Cesarean section, but details on the birth was not immediately released.
[From the Daily News]
Us Weekly reports that Thomas has written a memoir titled “Love Makes a Family: A Memoir of Hardship, Healing and an Extraordinary Pregnancy,” which will be released in September. Congratulations to Thomas and Nancy!
congratulations! hope everyone is healthy and well. i hope we get to see the little cutie!
this person makes me angry for a couple of reasons. 1) i think he is a giant step back for actual transexual people who would like to be taken serious. 2) i feel like america is in a delicate state of mind [when it comes to gays] and i think that slowly the majority is becoming more and more accepting and open, people who cheat the system by pretending to become a boy just to marry their girl are not helping. it’s like a slap in the face. 3) do you know what hormones can do to a kid? neither do i and i bet neither do they, yet they wanted a baby. and now a kid has to deal with that. 4) the statement “just like any other mom execpt for breastfeeding” is bull$hit. either you are a man living as a men do (and men don’t give birth) or you are a lesbian who lied to marry your gf. and that is shade-y.
BEFORE i get hateful comments – i am a lesbian. i feel like this is awful and helps us lose much needed and hard earned ground. people should not be so selfish.
I agree with RaeJillian. That kid is also going to be so messed up. This has nothing to do with bashing homosexuality but Men or people who live their life as Men should not be giving birth. This child is going to be picked on so bad.
Well, I defend gay marriage and life choices to all the Republican suburbanites that surround me based on the idea that people’s personal lives are you know, their very own personal lives! Why not do the same for this family?
wow, congrats to the family! I’m glad everyone is healthy & doing well
texasmom – That’s kinda a simplistic argument don’t you think? What about those uber-Christians that don’t want to get their kids medical attention because it’s against their religion? I suppose that’s just their ‘personal life’?
Well, if you’re like most people, you say that the welfare of that child is more important than their personal preferences – and that’s all that a lot of people are saying here. This kid’s life is going to be a living hell. We know about this story and we live all over the world, you don’t think ever person in that entire town doesn’t already know about this? A loving family life isn’t going to help when that kid goes to school, trust me.
I don’t even believe this is about a genuine love and desire for a child. If it was, wouldn’t you want what’s best for the baby? Wouldn’t you… I dunno… NOT RUN TO THE NEWS AND WRITE A FUCKING BOOK! Keeping this whole thing a little more quiet might have allowed that baby at least some kind of anonymity – but that’s gone now.
Raejillian is right – this isn’t helping the cause of gays and the trans-gendered, it’s just making a lot of people think ‘God, these people are ALL freaks!’.
I wish people had more time on their hands and weren’t so upset by this couple. However, I guess if these people bother you then it proves how lucky you are to not have anything more serious to get your panties in a bunch over.
CONGRATS! It’s a WOMAN giving birth! Nothing extraordinary here! Just life!
Well, I do find it uncomfortable, but not from anything to do with gays marrying. Just from a purely biological persprective, I find it interesting that media outlets are constantly referring to the “Pregnant Man” when really it ought to be the pregnant “man”. I kind of think that by definition, one with a working uterus is a female. End of story. Transgendered? Sure. Aiming to become fully FtM transsexual? Okay. But not a MAN. Not yet, anyway.
Let’s not forget that this is a biological woman. The only difference is that she had her breasts removed and has taken hormones to appear more masculine.
There’s nothing spectacularly shocking about a WOMAN giving birth. People seem to forget. This isn’t a man having a baby. This is a WOMAN having a baby who appears masculine.
I’m sticking by my guns for the yes-its-simplistic golden rule of treating people the way you’d like to be treated, and not treating people the way you don’t want to be treated.
The year I was born, my interracial marriage would have been illegal in 22 states, and people would have told me that it was cruel to have children and that they would suffer. And now — no big deal! Happy kids who are sometimes asked odd questions but are quite popular and high-achieving. (BTW, my oldest child’s birth was still technically illegal in two Southern states).
Some people still would be happy to judge us, but I don’t really care about their opinions if I don’t agree with them. There are people out there who actually mistreat their kids and that should be stopped, but just having a child doesn’t constitute abuse.
To damn sick for words…
Texas Mom,
There is a huge difference between interracial marriages and interracial children and children born to post transexuals. Don’t even go there!
I’m not saying that different things are the same, I’m saying that judging other people’s lives isn’t generally to anyone’s benefit.
I gave an example of something that used to be a REALLY BIG DEAL that isn’t anymore. In 40 years THIS may not seem like such a big deal. What amuses me today is that so many people don’t even believe that interracial issues were EVER a big deal! Loving vs The State of Virginia came about after cops broke into a couple’s home, dragged them out of bed, and arrested them! This wasn’t resolved until 1967 by the Supreme Court — not exactly ancient history.
Yeah, here’s the thing though – your partner didn’t CHOOSE to be black. This person made a choice to get a sex change, get it half done, have a baby, ect. That’s a whole lot of choices, and that’s what makes the difference.
that’s a man, man….
This is sad. It feels like there can never be a world where people just accept other and people and move on. What happened to love one another?
She’s a man, baby!(Sorry, I needed to get some Mike Myers out of my system.)
Congrats to the happy family! May they have many happy and healthy years together!
Really this is sad!!! I agree with Scott… If situations arise due to things you can change, then that’s ok… you cannot be blamed for people’s ignorance (e.g hating on black people just coz they are black). But this is a decision he made… Imagine your child trying to explain why his mum is a man. I do not think that he thought this through and while he was so busy trying to protect (or defend) his “right to have a biological child” he never thought about what misery his child will go through growing up. Society, unfortunately, dictates norms and that definitely is not the norm… and, guess what, it is the kid who has to live that life.
good for you 🙂
Who cares if someone is transgendered as long as they are a loving, attentive parent?! Children go with the flow with no preconceived biases…it’s the adults like poster #6 spewing their hatred that makes these kids lives “a living hell”.
I don’t see why every move Thomas Beatie makes has to be a coup for the gay and transsexual community? He doesn’t fit into either group, so why slam him for bringing it down? He and his wife have had a child, and by accounts it seems to be a very healthy little girl — which is the outcome everyone should hope for, regardless of skin colour, sexual orientation, physical appearance or anything else. It has been said above that the gay and transsexual community is becoming more accepted — all I see is the same prejudice from different factions. I’m glad my country isn’t so close-minded.
I wish people would accept that there is more between being clearly man or a woman – a huge grey area where hermaphrodites and transgender-ed or -ing people and others of undefinite gender orientation float. Their shades of grey may change or remain stable. They are as they are. It makes me sad that people get angry because these people are not either black or white.
Good for them, they have a right to a biological child regardless of their circumstances. Many people have no desire to adopt, for very good reasons. Wish them the best.
First of all, congratulations to the happy couple! I hope they will be ever so happy with their precious little girl.
I am a bi woman and I’ve got transexual and “hardcore” gay and lesbians friends. Neither of them thinks this is a step back for all that they have fought for. I don’t either. I think it’s a step forward. And as to America being in a delicate state of mind, well boohoo. I don’t think any of us need to take that into account. And neither should Thomas and Nancy.
I’m not a fan of people cashing in on every little thing in their lives (here’s looking at you, Lohans of the world), but I do hope that they will make lots of money from their book, in order to offer their daughter, themselves and the rest of their family more opportunities and a good (even better, they seemed quite content as it is) life. And I’m not worried about the kid being messed up at all. With parents as strong and loving and committed as they are, there’s no need to worry. Many people can only dream of such parents. And that, my friends, transcends gender and sexuality, on all levels.
I agree with ReaJillian. How often do kids say their mom and dad messed uo their lives, that’s bad enough.
Now you have to look forward to these alternative lifestyles-and consider alot of kids are not going to be happy being brought up this way. But what can you do the man had a womb.
I just don’t understand why they need to publicize it, with the internet it’s going to be sad when the kid goes to school.
I don’t believe for a minute he/she wasn’t still taking male hormone while pregnant.
Thing is, say what you want about the whole gay or transgender movement, but this (by all media appearances, mind you) seems to be the case of a couple who couldn’t have bio-children with one parent, but were blessed enough to be able to have them with the other. Why HONESTLY is this ANY different than a gay couple having children? I don’t get the judgement or critique of their method.
I also have to wonder if there are people out there unable to HAVE children naturally who feel like this was (preparing to get crucified now) a blessing from God?
More power to them, my God bless your lives and those of your child and future children.
Two lesbians having a child is not exactly newsworthy, but I wish them the best.
I also hope “Thomas” can figure out what she wants in life. Did you see that Oprah interview? She couldn’t articulate why she wanted to live as a man or anything. She seemed a bit simple and kind of wishy-washy. I wonder if this is an actual case of transgenderism or just a confused young woman. 🙁
Please. I don’t understand why everyone cares so much about this. It’s not as if this is going to affect anyone personally who had to weigh in their hefty opinions about how ‘sick’ or ‘wrong’ the choice that they made was. IF anything, they probably publicized it so much to try to make hateful & spiteful people understand why they were doing it. And in a year, no one is going to even remember this – on to the next thing.
Well i read their story and i understood that except for adopting it was the only way to have children, because the woman couldn’t be pregnant. Also they said that they would raise this child with the woman being the mom and the person who give her life being the dad. Concerning school and the comments of the others towards the little girl, i believe that they could afford a secluded life and home teaching with the money they earned only from this story, until she gets older and understands the facts of her life. Because if she grows up in a love and caring family, i think that she will be able to understand and even forgive. And people forget soon
well that’s a great story for the child to explain to her kids one day.
I don’t really see why people are having such trouble with this. Didn’t you all see that Sesame Street where they sing a song about there being all different kinds of families? The parents will love and support their child–that’s the most important thing.
I have never heard a more asinine reason for not having a child than a fear that the kid will be picked on. I can guarantee that it will. Know why? Because ALL kids get picked on, REGARDLESS of their parents. It’s a fact of LIFE. Not having a child because you are afraid it will be teased? Sure, so now poor people won’t have kids if their kids might get teased for being poor. Tall people won’t have kids because their kids will be teased for being tall. I am so sure. *heavy sarcasm*
So far I think the most valid concern is about the potential harm if hormones were taken during pregnancy, which he says they weren’t. I am assuming they had medical care during this and that doctors were satisfied of the health of the situation, so who are we to judge? So far I haven’t seen any laws against women smoking and drinking while pregnant–lets fix that before we worry about one case of a person who had taken hormones having a child.
I have to applaud texasmom for listening to her heart and ignoring the “social norm”. It isn’t fair to compare this with children being denied medical care for their parents’ religious beliefs. That endangers the physical safety of children–this is nowhere close to that.
RaeJillian: right on.
This child is going to have SO many issues – maybe medical, but definitely psychological ones. This whole thing was a hugely selfish act. Hope that little girl ends up ok…
Beatie could still have a biological child without going through the birthing process….
Just because my dad didn’t physically give birth to me doesn’t make me NOT his BIOLOGICAL child.
…. *sigh*
and I echo RaeJillian and sassyspank.
In response to what Amy said:
“I also hope “Thomas” can figure out what she wants in life. Did you see that Oprah interview? She couldn’t articulate why she wanted to live as a man or anything. She seemed a bit simple and kind of wishy-washy. I wonder if this is an actual case of transgenderism or just a confused young woman.”
If she is indeed a confused young woman, then she had no business bringing a child into the world until she straightened some of this out. And yes, I know there are plenty of non-transgendered out there who shouldn’t have children either – same thing to them [Paris, Ashlee, Britney, Jamie Lynn, and plenty of non-celebs]:
Do your best to prevent a pregnancy until you’re ready to be the complete influence of a highly vulnerable life. Having a child is NOT a hobby, it’s not like getting a new car, it’s not something to “check off your list.”
And also: I believe that it is possible to be “loving” yet still disagree with someone’s choices. This whole “All we need is love” thing seems to indicate in some people’s brains that if there is “TRUE LOVE” there is no room for morals.
I think Beatie could have afforded to be a little more considerate of the life she created instead of this seemingly experimental/selfish outlook of, “Hey! I’m gonna be a man, then have a kid! No one else has done this before!”
And no, she’s not a man. She just resembles one.
The only mistake this couple really made was to actively involve the media from the outset and make something freaky out of something ordinary – a women in a same-sex relationship gets pregnant. Agree with Scott on this. I do empathise with texasmom and others, tho’, they’re just people in an obviously loving relationship and I wish them the best.
At least this little girl doesn’t have Michael Lohan or Hulk Hogan as a parent.
I wouldn’t say I agree with RaeJillian. In response to the hormones comment, do you know how many tests of different varieties they do on high-risk pregnancies? He stopped hormone production before conception, but even if he hadn’t, they would have been able to nip any problems in the bud immediately. And, why should he worry about how he’s portraying the queer community? It’s a personal thing; he’s not doing it to make a statement. The kid will be as screwed up as a kid who learns he or she was created by one of her mom’s eggs and the sperm of a nameless, faceless college student.
Private:
concerning things deeply private and personal;
individual(a): concerning one person exclusively;
secret: not expressed;
this was anything but “Private” if they wanted thier lives to be theirs then they wouldn’t have went on Oprah. I feel for the child.
It’s not a man if it has a vagina and it gave birth, dammit. 👿
Is this really a woman with a hairy face and bilateral mastectomy then?
The only way that kid’s life could be a living hell is to have to deal with a bunch of back woods ignorant jack-asses. As far as parenting this child will be loved because it was wanted.
This story gets credence because of Oprah. She may look like a man but she’s still a woman biologically through and through.
Congratulations to the family for a healthy baby being born!
Also, well spoken, Texasmom. I hope that in 40 years’ time we look back on today as the ‘bad old days’. When a child is loved and cherished, that’s all that is important. Goodness knows every day I see children from heterosexual partnerships who are messed because of their parents.
It’s down to the personality and behaviour of the parent. Not the gender. Clearly a lot of people are unwilling to find out more about transgenderism. ❓
I’m too tired to get into the issue of gay/transsexual people having children, but look: can we please stop using playground taunts as a basis for major life decisions? I’m tired of the whole “oh, they shouldn’t have kids because they’ll get teased by the other children” thing, which has been directed at children of interracial, GLBT parents and whatever else. Kids will tease other kids. Sometimes for things that can be controlled, sometimes not. They will get over it if they have a loving family life and if they are taught that everyone is a person of value. Grown people should not be so terrified of the threats of gradeschoolers.
God, I wasn’t going to comment again, but we can’t have it both fucking ways in this country!
On the one hand, you’ve got people saying ‘a loving family is all that matters, everyone gets teased, ect’. On the other hand, we’re criminalizing schoolyard bullying, and what’s the first thing that comes out of someone’s mouth when a school shooting happens? ‘He was picked on’!
Obviously folks, it IS a big deal when kids take ungodly amounts of shit. Yes, all kids will get picked on. So if even ‘normal’ children are getting picked on a lot, what do you think they’re gonna do to this kid?
I love comments like “The only way that kid’s life could be a living hell is to have to deal with a bunch of back woods ignorant jack-asses.”
Really? How full of shit does one have to be before they believe something like that? Eye level? 35 states have passed anti-gay marriage legislation in the last few years. That’s what, 70-80% of the states? This is just GAY MARRIAGE that people aren’t ready for, what the hell do you think the average person thinks about this kind of mess?
You can hate it all you want, but I’ve never seen a national poll about gay marriage that had above a 30-something percent approval rating – we are just not there yet in this country. Trying to force things like this down our throats and calling us bigots because we don’t support it, isn’t going to help aid the cause.
i think it is fine for them to have baby as two women. what irritates me is that she is trying to pass herself off as a man to capitalize on the novelty of being the first pregnant “man”, looking for publicity and/or money or something. but she is not a man, physically or legally. she is a woman with a beard and no breasts. if she would like to be a man she needs to lose the uterus and get a penis. and i’m fine with that, but can’t have it both ways. pick a side and stay there.
Why do they keep saying it is a man who gave birth? This person is clearly not a man! She was born female, and still had her female reproductive organs. Why is this so remarkable to so many people? Women give birth every day. This is not a medical miracle.
Show me a man who was born biologically male, with XY chromosomes, that gives birth…THEN it will be impressive.
Congrats on the arival of a new born in to this crazy world, my she be loved, taken care of and grow to be a beatiful human being, weither she is gay, trans or straight in her adult life. The thing that matters most in my opinion is, that she knows and learns Love in this world as it is today.
The world has questioned for a while whether or not it will ever be possible for a man to become pregnant and give birth to a baby. We all know that, strictly speaking, that is impossible, and this does not make it so. Strictly speaking, this is not a man giving birth. As far as transsexual goes, Beatie was part man and part woman. The “man” part of him did not give birth to the child, the “woman” part did. The only way that this could be considered a breakthrough is if s/he had had all female parts removed (reproductive included) and then gotten pregnant. Maybe.
I consider myself a tolerant person, but this is just one more strange oddity that can be added to the many odd things that have happened on this planet. It’s odd, but I can’t judge the couple. Hope the baby is ok.
Once upon a time I remember it was hard for people to separate sexual identity from sex or gender identity. They assumed if you were a transsexual you had to be straight. Now it seems if you are trans, you MUST want to sterilise yourself and hate your reproductive organs. If you don’t, or worse still if you use your reproductive organs to reproduce, you must be a fake sort of transsexual. You must be the kind that is really whichever gender you left behind. We’re given one life. A trans person who wants to be a parent is sometimes left with that choice — do I use what I was given or not have a biological child? How many people have to make that choice? Thomas Beatie is a he and a man because he knows he is. You don’t get to tell him that. He had a baby himself because that’s the choice he had open to him and his partner.