NEWS
POLITICS
- ALL POLITICS
- COMMENTARY
- PROP. 8
- MARRIAGE
- POLL
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
- ALL ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
- ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
- ART
- BOOKS
- COMMENTARY
- DANCE
- DVDS
- FILM
- INTERNET
- MUSIC
- PROFILES
- TELEVISION
- THEATER
BUSINESS
- ALL BUSINESS
- AUTOMOTIVE
- CAREERS
- ECONOMY
- FINANCE
- MONEY
HEALTH & FITNESS
SPORTS
TRAVEL
VIDEO
PRINT ISSUE
RESOURCES & FEEDBACK

|| News ||

November 14, 2008

Pregnant Man Thomas Beatie Expecting ... Again

In an interview with Barbara Walters, pregnant man Thomas Beatie revealed that he and his wife are expecting another child. Beatie announced he was pregnant the first time around in an exclusive article written for The Advocate.

Beatie, who was born biologically female, is in his first trimester. He told Walters that after giving birth to his daughter, Susan, he stayed off the male hormone testosterone so that he could have another baby.

"I feel good," he told Walters. "I had my checkups with my hormone level, as far as the HCG. And everything is right on track."

Beatie said he and his wife, Nancy, are expecting their second baby in June.

Beatie was talking to Walters as a part of a Friday night ABC special report, What Is a Man, What Is a Woman? Journey of a Pregnant Man.

In April of last year Beatie sent an e-mail to The Advocate announcing his pregnancy. That e-mail became an article which made national news, leading to Beatie appearing on prime-time news specials and talk shows, including Oprah, speaking as the world’s "first pregnant man."

In the article Beatie wrote for The Advocate, he explained, “Sterilization is not a requirement for sex reassignment, so I decided to have chest reconstruction and testosterone therapy but kept my reproductive rights. Wanting to have a biological child is neither a male nor female desire, but a human desire."

Beatie's announcement created a firestorm of media coverage of the Oregon couple. September Films announced in July that it had secured a global rights deal to film a documentary about Beatie and his pregnancy. The film is slated to air on the BBC's Channel 4 in the United Kingdom and the Discovery Channel in the United States. (Ross von Metzke, The Advocate)

Keywords: Thomas Beatie

Related stories from Advocate.com

2009-06-09: "It's a Boy" for Thomas Beatie
2008-12-02: Wanda Sykes, Thomas Beatie Kick Off Advocate's People of the Year
2008-07-12: Thomas Beatie Documentary in the Works
2008-07-05: Trans Man Gives Birth to Girl
2008-05-03: Trans Positions

Reader Comments

These comments are reproduced as written by visitors to this Web site. They have not been edited for content, grammar, or spelling. The viewpoints appearing here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of advocate.com, The Advocate, or its affiliates.

Name: Helen Fairbairn
Date posted: 2008-12-29 6:54 PM
Hometown: Scotland

Comment:

I was watching "The Pregnant Man" earlier this evening and the way Thomas and his wife were treated by certain people really did disgust me. I think that, in this day and age, if we have the technological advances then why shouldnt men have the children? Admittedly, my dad did find it quite strange and unfortunately commented on Thomas while we were watching the program. After I had explained Thomas and Nancy's story he did seem slightly more open-minded at the idea of a man having a child. Susan was a beautiful baby, and I do wish all the best of luck to the whole family while their second child is born. It disgruntles me immensely that Thomas and Nancy could not be left alone during Thomas's pregnancy and I really do genuinely hope that the world becomes more open-minded to the idea that either a man or a woman could have a baby. -Helen Fairbairn (Glasgow, Scotland)

Name: Helen Fairbairn
Date posted: 2008-12-29 6:45 PM
Hometown: Scotland

Comment:

Name: chelles
Date posted: 2008-12-21 9:49 PM
Hometown: London

Comment:

I just wanted to say that after watching the documenatary with all those people who taunted and threatened the couple, It is those people who are sick. From what i saw was two loving parents who adore their baby girl. The chances are yes she will be bullied at school or made to feel different but then which child is not at school and as long as she has a loving family she will be ok. I work with women and their babies and can honestly say in my experience that all famillies are individual, all have different ideas of parenting and what is normal and un normal. However some of the best parents i have met are the ones who have been classed abnormal by our stuck up society. Good luck to the family and their beautiful little girl.

Name: Jane
Date posted: 2008-11-25 11:26 PM
Hometown: Las Vegas

Comment:

Only in America would a freak show like this be glorified in the press. It is clear that " Thomas" doesn't even see HERSELF as the man that she claims to be. She can liken herself to the male seahorse who carries babies and whatever other crap that she likes. She accurately guessed that the American press and public would go for her freak show agenda and she is laughing all the way to the bank with her "wife"/lesbian lover. No wonder people think that most Americans are stupid. She would have been completely ignored in another country, or locked up, or beaten up, or killed. Only WOMEN have babies. Now where's the hot off the press story in THAT?

Name: sandra
Date posted: 2008-11-17 5:46 PM
Hometown: houston,tx

Comment:

Apparently, those of you out there don't understand that Mrs. Beatie's urge to be a man is selfish and nothing more than that. She must have had an inside talk with his maker, to which he replied ,"Sure do whatever you want." When will we realize that getting a partial or complete sex change still doesn't change WHO we are but instead only changes what we THINK we are? Apparently, America and the rest of the world want to go to Lala Land and indulge on Mrs. Beatie's selfish desires by calling her a him. A MAN did NOT have a baby, a WOMAN had a baby. Is this what the world has come to? As technology advances we will all do whatever WE please? For those that want to congratulate Mrs. Beatie and Mrs. Beatie on a good fortune: Her and the other half of the world's pop. of women are able to have them too, brainiac. The fact that a confused, man-wanting-to-be- woman had one, does not make her special. Just her life all the more confusing.

Name: Heiko
Date posted: 2008-11-16 5:34 PM
Hometown: Beeville

Comment:

I man cannot get prenant, because a man does not have a uterus or ova. A hermaphrodite can get pregnant because this person, who is both a man and a woman at the same time, DOES have this. If one can be a man because that is how one identifies oneself, then can I be an African-American (I am non-Hispanic white) because I "identify" as one? Then I would be eligible for affirmative action programs and scholarship programs. If you do not have complete sexual reassignment surgery, then you are really not completely a man, insofar as this is as far as one can take it at the moment. Chromosomes will at this time stay xx, so until that can be done, one should go the full range, otherwise, one is not a man, with today's available techonology.

Name: Kristy
Date posted: 2008-11-15 11:34 AM
Hometown: Minneapolis

Comment:

What do you (those of you who feel so strongly about the terminology of man and woman) feel about intersexuality, what used to be called hermaphrodism? Scientifically there are those who cannot be classified as a man or a woman. Does this mean these people are "its"? Of course not. They generally identify most with one gender and their identity becomes as such. Do these people not deserve your respect, because they are different? I'm shocked that those that can be the focus of so much baseless intolerance can also be guilty of the same against others. I don't see this as being productive in the fight for gay rights.

Name: CC
Date posted: 2008-11-15 9:04 AM
Hometown: Ohio

Comment:

you know I can understand two people in love want to have a family and that is great. What I guess I don't understand is the man identity. Mentally you feel you are a man but physically you are a woman. I am confused and upset because he we are trying to have society accept our gay community without prejudice so we can have the rights to marry, insurance, and any other benefits including death benefits for our lifestyle and now this kind of media being out there that just confused every chance we have now. I have been in a relationship for 14 yrs and I love my partner very much but legally I can't marry her in Ohio because I am gay. Well you are not a man physically until everything is physical. So I don't understand how this was able to be changed.

Name: Andrea
Date posted: 2008-11-15 1:50 AM
Hometown: Santiago de Chile

Comment:

Maestro Thomas!!! VIVA la Teoría Queer que dice ¡¡no existen papeles sexuales esencial o biológicamente inscritos en la naturaleza humana, sino formas socialmente variables de desempeñar uno o varios papeles sexuales!! ¿¿Por qué la gente se espanta al ver un hombre embarazado? cuando debería alegrarse por el amor que llevó a este hombre a realizar todo lo que estuviera a su alcance para ser felíz junto a su novia!! La gente debería espantarse por las atrocidades que comete Bush, por la hambruna, por el consumismo, el deterioro del medio ambiente, por la guerra, el exacerbado individualismo y todas las calamidades que ha producido el hombre, como lobo del hombre, NO AL VER QUE UNA PAREJA QUIERE TENER FAMILIA... la familia tiene mil formas, no sólo la concepción cristiana católica que se nos ha obligado aceptar como la correcta. VIVA THOMAS BEATTIE!! VIVA LA DIVERSIDAD SEXUAL!! VIVA LA DESTRUCCIÓN DE LOS ROLES SEXUALES Y LA MORAL UNIVERSAL!! VIVA EL AMOR EN LIBERTAD!!

Name: Sam BeGoode
Date posted: 2008-11-14 5:18 PM
Hometown: Menlo Park

Comment:

So let me get this - uh, straight... The only definition of what a "man" is, is how you feel inside? You can have a vagina, ovaries, double-x chromosomes (and no y's), and still be able to reproduce as a woman does - and yet call yourself a man because and ONLY because YOU SAY SO??? So does that mean I can call myself King of all Gay People that I am? Will you all start bowing down to me because I have a delusion I'm something I'm CLEARLY NOT? I'm more than willing to try and understand trans-people - but there has got to be some point where one IS or IS NOT something and that has to be based on something more than just a feeling. IN OTHER WORDS - "SHE HAD A BABY" - not "HE HAD A BABY".

Name: Rebecca
Date posted: 2008-11-14 1:04 PM
Hometown: Palm Beach Gardens

Comment:

I am a lesbian and I have a problem with this whole scenerio. When I got pregnant with my son (through AI), got dumped by my partner of 5 years after the fact and wound up homeless, I didn't tote my story to the media. I feel that this is a situation that is being done for one reason....MONEY! After all, $300,000 for the baby photos and now, just a few months later, "he" is pregnant again? It just blows my mind! I cannot wrap my brain around it, no matter how hard I try. I feel really sorry for the children and I hope that "Mr" Beatie puts some of his publicity money aside for therapy for these kids....more than likely, they are going to need it.

Name: Megan
Date posted: 2008-11-14 11:35 AM
Hometown: Fort Collins

Comment:

Speaking of listening and analyzing, if you'll read below, you'll see that I said: "And you can all cast judgment about whether or not this is a publicity stunt (which I'm not arguing against!)..." My point isn't whether or not he should be doing this whole interview/reality show thing. Unlike you, I can actually see both sides of that argument. My point is he doesn't deserve the label FREAK. None of us within our community do, no matter what level of "different" we are from the "norm". If you can utilize your clearly staggering intellect and explain to my lowly, feeble mind why he does deserve that label, then I will listen and analyze.

Name: Megan
Date posted: 2008-11-14 10:47 AM
Hometown: Fort Collins

Comment:

Oh, wait a second, Dcotor D, or Doctor D, or whatever. This is too good. Are you serious with this last statement? "Save that for the freaks in our community that rely on people like you to speak for them. " Weren't you all just complaining about Mr. Beatty going all out for all of this publicity, doing interviews, being in a documentary, etc? Doesn't sound much like someone who needs us to speak for him at all. And actually, we weren't. We were merely pointing out your hypocrisy and narrow-mindedness. I'm sorry not everyone is going to join you in the little box you have constructed to define how we all should live our lives. You might want to crack the lid and get a little more air in there!

Name: Doctor D
Date posted: 2008-11-14 9:57 AM
Hometown: W DC

Comment:

By living their lives throught the large market media, they are no better than the people that seek their few minutes of fame on reality tv. They can live their lives however they want, but I stand by my statement that they are circus performers. Otherwise, they would give birth and raise their children the way that the rest of the world does, without seeking a spotlight. I also suspect there is some plan to generate income from this as well. Why is it that we are deemed intolerant if we question anything that appears to go against the gay commandment of "Do Not Speak Negatively About Your Gay Brothers and Sisters". Get your head out of the sand and use your own cognitive abilities to assess this situation. I respect your opinion, but don't try to silence people who are towing the line with you.

Name: Paul L
Date posted: 2008-11-13 7:23 PM
Hometown: San Diego

Comment:

This is a sad sign of how marginalized the trans community truly is. It's going to be a long, uphill struggle to educate the hetero world, and apparently the Queer world, that the concepts of sexuality as merely gay or straight and gender as simply male or female are false dichotomies. His own gender identity is somewhat fluid and this is uncomfortable to people: They respond with anger and cruelty. He defines himself as a man, though genetically he developed with two X chromosomes. Why not let him take advantage of the latter while still identifying with the former? I’m happy for him and his wife and hope the world is soon open to the idea of stretching the boundaries of the boxes they are used to and comfortable with.

Name: Me
Date posted: 2008-11-13 6:20 PM
Hometown: Houston

Comment:

I thought surely this would all die down eventually. But obviously it CANNOT when she is pregnant AGAIN! What happens when the kids are in school and their schoolmates are passing around pics of "Daddy"... Pure torture for those kids is what happens. In the last article, I stated my opinion and was attacked. Okay, so maybe I deserved it. But I am entitled to my opinion too, and since I will be attacked AGAIN... might as well go whole hog... You know what "man", buy some lipstick too when you go to Walgreens to buy maxi pads in June! Because nothing says macho to me like a swollen, stretched out bloody vagina! And that's exactly what "he" will have... AGAIN!!!

Name: Megan
Date posted: 2008-11-13 5:46 PM
Hometown: Fort Collins

Comment:

I can't believe you people. Do you really not understand why "this" relates to our community? You all sound just as close-minded, judgmental, and self-righteous as the right wingers and homophobes who dismiss all of us as freaks. When will you open your eyes and figure out that we, as members of the GLBT community, are all fighting for our rights, for inclusiveness, for acceptance, and even for our safety? These kind of divisive comments toward another member of our community serve no purpose whatsoever. Get a clue! And you can all cast judgment about whether or not this is a publicity stunt (which I'm not arguing against!) but I bet you read the articles and tune into the documentaries anyway.

Name: Jerry Daszko
Date posted: 2008-11-13 3:22 PM
Hometown: Sacramento

Comment:

I congratulate Mr Beatty and his wife on their good fortune, but I must say that he is far from being the first pregnant man. Over 10 years ago I knew a man in San Francisco who worked in a Gay (male) bar. I flirted with him for months, and he confided in me that he was transgener and taking Testosterone, but he had not yet undergone gender reassignment surgery. He disappeared for a while, and a year or two later I was reading the local GLBT paper and saw a birth announcement, showing this rugged-loking man I recognized, along with his new male partner, who looked every bit as rugged, who also happened to be transgender. The article mentioned that the nurses in San Francisco's largest Labor and Delivery unit admitted that this was the first time they had someone with a full beard and chest hair deliver a baby!

If you would like to submit a comment for posting, please fill out the form above.

All comments submitted via this form are subject to posting or publication. (To send a private letter to an Advocate editor or writer, please use the e-mail button at the top of the page, or use snail mail.) If you would like your comment considered for publication in The Advocate magazine, please include your full name, your city of residence, and a phone number where you can be reached during business hours so that we can confirm your identity. Your e-mail address and telephone number are strictly confidential and will not be shared or used for any purpose other than to contact you about your comment.

See the Contact page for sending comments for reasons other than responding to Advocate editorial and news stories.

Please note that comments sent by fax or snail mail are unlikely to be posted, although they will be considered for publication along with all letters received via e-mail or via this Web page. Comments that chiefly concern Advocate.com content will be considered for posting only on the Web site. The Advocate reserves the right to edit submitted comments for grammar, spelling, obscenities, or libel; we will, however, do our best to preserve the original comment's style and intent. Comments considered for publication in The Advocate magazine may also be edited for length.

More Exclusives

View From the Hill: The End of DADT?
Defense Secretary Robert Gates revealed that lawyers are exploring ways to ease enforcement of the military's gay ban, but cautioned that the law doesn't leave much wiggle room. He need look no further than DOD history for a lesson in altering the policy.

Hot Sheet: Week of July 5
When you get back from that big 4th of July barbecue, unwind with Sacha Baron Cohen's Bruno and your favorite B-movie-mocking, basic cable robots.

Hungry Like the Wolf
A master of viola, ukulele, piano, and harp, Patrick Wolf is a music prodigy -- one who, the night before this interview, spit on a cop and got himself arrested.

Soapside: Advocate's Guide to Daytime
Forbes March talks about playing gay, Otalia fans outraged, update on One Life to Live’s Patricia Maurceri’s firing over gay plot point, Phillip Chancellor III big reveal, and Erica Kane goes to Africa.

The Faces of Federal Prop. 8
With the federal challenge to Prop. 8 moving full speed ahead, Advocate.com sits down with the two couples named as plaintiffs in the suit.

Mommy, the Gays Are Coming
After a year of advancements and celebration for gay and lesbian Colombians, the community takes to the streets of Bogota for the country's biggest pride ever.

The Pride of Antwerp
Advocate.com hits the gay-friendly streets of Antwerp with openly gay police commissioner Serge Muyters.

Excerpt: Mean Little Deaf Queer
In an excerpt from her humorous and harrowing new memoir, Mean Little Deaf Queer, Terry Galloway recalls her early childhood, describing feelings of ugliness, confusion about gender, and being one of the boys.

Top Political Blogs
From Joe.My.God to The Daily Beast, Advocate.com spotlights a few of the best blogs that cover politics, inside and way outside the Beltway.

The Diva of French Television
A hot young screenwriter who has made gay OK for millions of French viewers, Nicolas Mercier sips champagne, dons a feathered hat, and says he wants to see Colin Farrell and Jude Law go at it.