Thomas Beatie  | Poll Results | Advocate.com

||   Thomas Beatie   ||
Results for the following question: Did Thomas Beatie's going public with his pregnancy hurt the transgender movement?

Yes
 34.4%

No
 50.9%

Undecided
 14.8%

Total Votes: 521

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.

Anonymous
It could hurt all LGBT's. He makes it look like a "choice". If he idenitifies as a man, he needs to stay a man and men don't have babies.

Ani
I don't think it hurt the movement, but I definitely think he hurt himself and his family by going public with apparently no real forethought of the consequences for his family. He is absolutely NOT the first FTM to become pregnant post-transition, many have done it with zero fanfare or awareness. so I don't understand his explanation, that the media was going to find out and he was coming out as a preemptive strike.... I think he wants validation as much as anyone, but I also think that too many people confuse public attention with validation... which seems to be a MTV generational problem more than anything. FYI Chromosomes do not define true sex, and unless you have had your own chromosomes tested you shouldn't make assumptions about yours or anybody else's. If we required the entire populace to have their chromosomes tested tomorrow a LOT of people would be in for a surprise. So, stop talking XX=Girl and XY=Boy. It's a simplistic, obnoxious, and often inaccurate argument for bigots who have no idea what they're even talking about.

Scot Tanner Buchholz
People who are transgendered are not suppose to be able to choose what sex they are by what circumstance they are presented with in life. This is suppose to be a correction of gender identity. And people wonder why Gays and Lesbians do not want to have the movement of equality to be attached with Bi-sexuals and Transgendered people. It is because no one can grasp what the person really wants. It is especially hurtful to the movement when there is someone like what Thomas Beatie has done that even confuses the Gay and Lesbian community. If we cannot explain it to the outsiders of our community then how can Transgendered folks expect us to defend their rights as well.

Scott
I think in this day and age of the internet it was going to reach the mainstream news eventually. I feel that his coming out, so to speak, just diffused the situation.

Anonymous
Biologically male-female couples with the same fertility problems either adopt or use a surrogate. Beatie and his wife should have done the same, since Beatie considers himself male. The pregnancy will only confuse and alienate people who are already don't understand the transgender movement.

Lynne
Thomas is right, having a child is a human desire, not just male or female and besides someone had to do it first because it was going to happen eventually. The only thing is that I fear for their safety. They have the right to be a family like the rest of us do, no matter if you're LGBT.

nikki
it may have made more people aware of the reality of the transgender movement.

Anonymous
I think he took an already confusing topic to most and just made it a circus freakshow.

Calvin
I am really truly torn on this...Do I feel he could be doing this to further his own career? Yes, I kind of do. Do I think that he is confusing a huge number of cisgendered, heteronormative people? Yes. I do wish the best for him and his family, but I am still kind of on the fence about whether or not he's hurting the transgender movement.

Anonymous
because he has a vagina so he is really a woman, its all a publicity stunt, poor child to be raised by coo coo parents like them that are just out for the all mighty dollar

Karen
Hmmm...where to start. Well, all of the trans guys I know do NOT identify in any way as female and would never carry a child. They're striving to be taken seriously and pass as MEN because that's how they view themselves. If Thomas Beatie and his wife wanted a child, they should have done this privately. By choosing to go public, they invited a lot of criticism to the trans movement and the gay community. The average John and Jane Doe can barely wrap their heads around gay. I just think this was a bad decision and it's not going to open up lines of communication.

Alyssa D.
I personally thought it was a bad move on his part, but Simon Aronoff's article has made me reconsider. I'm not sure what this pregnancy will do to the movement as a whole, but I support his right to have this child.

nobody important
No, nobody understands transgender anyway, it's got nothing to do with being gay. Just about guys who think they are girls and visi versa. Mixed up genes sounds like.

Russ VanAllen
The majority of people are so narrow minded and ignorant of facts regarding human development that it makes no difference. Bravo to Thomas for doing what his heart dictates and may they be guided towards healthy child rearing actions.

Matt Rehkamp
i would imagine that being transgender is hard enough for the average transgender person then he comes along and make a scene with his pregnacy only making it harder to fit in with society as a whole

Cindy
First off, Thomas Beatie isn't a "he". The mere fact that she left the reproductive organs intact speaks volumes, doesn't it? Also, she still has her original XX chromosomes, which can't ever be changed. All the surgery in the world won't make transgender people be the sex the wish to be. That being said, YES. It's made transgenders look like even bigger freaks than they already are. I took my issue of the Advocate to work to show a co-worker, and she immediately passed it around the office. Everyone was stunned, disgusted, and quite frankly amazed that a rational person of sound mind would do such an insane thing.

Beverly C
I have found in talking with the elders I work with, that they understand the reasons for the pegnacy once the full facts are explained. What hurts us are the short "news" blurbs that sesationalise things like this.

Richard - Las Vegas
I truly do not understand the concept of transgendering. It seems that if a woman tapes down her breasts, cuts her hair off, wears work boots & jeans, and then calls herself "Chuck", she is considered transgendered. Likewise, if a man puts on a dress & wig and goes down to the local pub, calling himself "Lola", ;he is considered transgendered. Ms/Mr. Beatie is not totally transgendered, in that s/he still has her "girly parts"; doing a mastectomy and growing a beard is only part of the process. Apparently Ms/Mr. Beatie wants the best of all worlds, and s/he wants us to not only applaud her/his decision, but also to help pay for it!

Anonymous
Not sure! I suppose it depends if you want people to stay in the closet or not. Does it matter what other's may thing, if so then we should go back into the closet or we can fight it standing up! This question make me think you want us all to go back into the closet? Sorry! I don't think that would be a good thing to do, it doesn't matter what people think, we should all fight it head on! Nothing else should be questioned. I think I'm tired of every ones passivity regarding LGBT issues!

Tra
Um why the heck would it if ppl don't like then they still dont need to be judging it for him being pregnant....I mean come on If a trans person judges then they have big problems bc they are judged for what they do....who cares what Thomas and his wife done they are humans too I wish them the best of luck when they beautiful child is born...

Anonymous
tickle me :)

Anonymous
Probably, since the circumstances were provocative. It was his perogative to do so, however.

cody
I think his coming forward will ultimately help. It has sparked interest in the lives of transpeople. It gives the movement a chance to educate the public. Plus, it may be a spark of inspiration for those who haven't taken that first step toward being who they were meant to be.

FTM-man, father, son, brother.
As a fellow transman I think Thomas did all of us a disservice. He could have bypassed all the tabloid fodder sensationalism and came out publicly AFTER his child was born healthy. His stort still could have been told and he would have avoided all the crap that was sent sailing in our direction. People are ignorant enough about who we are. Thomas just made them more confused. While I disagree with the way Thomas came out I don't disagree with his being pregnant. His body is his body and while I don't understand a man giving birth It's not my decision to make. I don't understand a woman having an abortion either but, that too, is not my decision to make.

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Anonymous
Why shouldn't a person avail themselves of 'whatever it takes' to fulfill their dream?

Anonymous
The 'pregnant man' was a shocking image that even I (and I consider myself VERY liberal) had trouble processing. I am just glad it didn't get too ugly...maybe it didn't even get noticed by the religious right? I can only imagine what Fallwell would have said...

Helen
As a transsexual woman, I am concerned how people will react. If his motivation was to educate, then thats admirable-but he had to know there would be consequences. If his motivation was to get attention or make money-then its despicable. Only he knows, and I pray for the best. That child will have to live with his choices.

Mike Moore
Why should it? As LGBT people we are always fighting not to be judged and to live our lives in peace. The only way we are hurting this movement is by not embracing the fact this this couple is bringing a new life into this world.

Anonymous
Remember the old saying "give them an inch and they'll take a mile" People, last time I checked we (LGBT's) are still working on an inch!

John
What did the harm was The Advocate's sensationalist picture, which was reprinted everywhere. Have you ever noticed that when anti-gay activists are trying to influence the public, they show the freakiest characters from "Pride" parades that they can find? Ever wonder why? Because it works! There are many "trans-next-door" folk who will be hurt by this in-your-face sensationalism. Like it or not, LGBT people are a minority, and we depend on the good will of our neighbors at the ballot box. Shocking them may seem like fun, but it's not smart.

Cecil L Young
Since I'm not transgender I'd like to hear what the self-identified transgender individuals feel and think about this.

Anonymous
Not at all. Bringing awareness to the complexities of life lift. There will always be others that want to tear down. One cannot let those people run the show.

Anonymous
What it did do is generate discussion among the public. Before any level of acceptance there must be dialouge around the existence of the situation.

Anonymous
Whatever...

Joe
I am a gay man who likes men, if you are carrying a fetus you are not a man in my eyes, but a bearded lady. I do not consider the trans movement part of the gay movement. I am a man, and I like my body parts and I like men, therefore I am a gay man.

John Bosch
It doesn't take much to hurt the transgender movement, in the eyes of the straight world -- ANY publicity would hurt (they want gays to disappear let alone pregnant transgender people). Something of this magnitude causes homophobic people's heads to spin. To be quite honest, it borders on being too much for the vanilla-gay community to absorb as well.

lillith
Unfortionately yes. My 6 year old asked me and my partner why we told him that men couldn't have babies in thier tummies, and wanted to know how it was possible. When I tried to explain that the man used to be a woman, he was just confused and thought it was funny. It has become a joke in our society, a can't make up your mind thing. Its one thing to do it privately, but to go public and appear on television makes it seem just another sad attempt at fame, and confuses the rest of society.

Rhoda Auerbach
Christine Jorgenson went very public in the 1950's and it opened the door for many people. It’s still such a touchy issue partly because others did not follow suit. The more media friendly we are, the more we'll be forgotten, which is often a good thing. If there are other trans having children and they’re open about it, it will become less of a shock- just as queerness is no longer such a shock. There are way more than two genders anyway. Look at your own friends and what a gamut they probably run. There are effeminate Lesbians and Gays, macho Lesbians and Gays and many others in between. We shouldn't have to choose between only two- as if we all had to go to either our local community college or Harvard- too limited a choice. Years ago, I thought that if everyone came out on the same day- all over the world- they would have to be accepted due to the sheer numbers.

Anonymous
People, generally, are not tolerant of this facet of our community - even WITHIN our community. Did it hurt? Maybe. Should it have? No. If we're going to grow strong, we're going to have to grow strong together, not bickering and castigating one another. Grow up people; oppression is oppression.

anonymous
So why did god create a woman?? isnt one her jobs for HER to have kids?? A pregnant male...can technology make the world any worse???

C. O'Connor
This situation has definitely put an entirely new twist on what it means to be transgender (and parents) and it has also elevated transgender issues to the forefront of national media. Outstanding!

C. O'Connor
This situation has definitely put an entirely new twist on what it means to be transgender (and parents) and it has also elevated transgender issues to the forefront of national media. Outstanding!

rick
It seems that his reasons are purely selfish.

Anonymous
Anything that gets people talking will help them get used to the idea, and if you can get used to the idea of something, you can start to tolerate it. And if you can tolerate something, there's room for acceptance.

Anonymous
It's made more people even more confused about the issue. Is he a man? A woman? Both?

Anonymous
mostly no. i think it was a little tacky doing the ultrasound on oprah, but i think most people just took it as unusual news and not a reflection of transgender people as a whole. if it did hurt us, it's because our organizations have had their heads in the sand and have refused to talk about the situation. when media events like this happen, our leaders need to be there to advocate for us, even if it's just saying something like, "yes, we support him, but know that pregnant transgender men are incredibly rare. [give statistic here.]"

andrea pdx
As a Portland, Oregon trans person, the Beatie story so far has been a non event as far as my daily life. I work in a fairly progressive work place and no one's talked to me about the story. My partner, who's a "fundamentalist" or is that "orthodox" queer, didn't like that Beatie "isnt playing by the rules" so to speak. Having lived through all these years of anti gay ballot measures, however, I wouldn't put it past the homophobe evangelicals to come up with yet another initiative "protecting" children from trannies or attempting to define what a "real" man or a "real" woman are.

Anonymous
It may have made things more difficult in the short term for some individuals, but in the long term it has stretched the boundaries of what people think is possible, and that will have a lasting positive effect.

Anonymous
The issue it self doesn't bother me, good for him. It just seems to me in a world where gay people are not yet fully accepted, why would one who is transgender subject themselves to the media? In my opinion it will only end badly.

mdb
Cool - just scramble it even more - Love it.

Anonymous
Sensationalism never advanced anything.

brian
Who cares? It's his life. Let him do as he wishes. Fuck the rest of us!!

terry
I really never saw the big deal in all this. Biologically, he's still a woman so of course it's possible he can conceive. No different than a male to female transexual who impregnates her wife. Why the fuss?

tj, Wyoming
absolutely not. I was in the presence of a lunch group of the supposed majority ("openly heterosexual christian straights") that week where the comment was loudly made, "I guess this makes the gay thing pretty mild". This was only a few months after the same female had literally screamed at someone telling a gay joke (one of Out.com's Best Gay Jokes!) that he was "cursing! In a church!". The progress of social equality for USAll is absolutely not just about any single, "divide and conquer" labelled group (gay, trans, white male Catholics, lefthanders, women, or whomever).

Keith Andrews
Did who's what do what to the who now?

Michael
While it may seem strange at first.... I do not find it to be a breaking point in the need to extend basic civil rights to all of us.

Hiro
To be honest, I don't think that too many people know what to make of all this. After all, who could have imagined anything like this happening in real life? But I think that this will blow over in time, especially if the baby is healthy and well-taken care of. It will all take time.

Anonymous
I think it sensationalized the transgender community...

M.
It helps the Trans rights movement. Trans people need more visibility, which is what Thomas Beatie is doing. I applaud both him and Oprah, even though Oprah is the Root of All Evil. Cheers, M.

Jeremiah Nazarkewycz
I believe it is his choice, and his body to do with he chooses. In a community that doesn't want judgment from the outside world, we shouldn't be so quick to judge within our community. All we have ever asked for from outside the LGBTQ community was mutual respect and kindness, some even go as just asking for tolerance. Mr. Beatie has every right to do what he chooses and I respect him for that. As a transman myself I give two thumbs up to Mr. Beatie and wish him the best of luck in this horrible world that lacks understanding and mutal respect amongst all people.

Anonymous
Yes, because as a Gay man I feel this has crosed the line alittle.

Casey
It has nothing to do with the transgender movement! Pregnancy is a wonderful thing! It is a gift in Mr. Beatie's likfe and I hope he cherish's it for what it is, a wonderful gift, not a set back in the transgender movement!

OB
I think the media coverage opened up the discussion, which was probably a benfit to trans folks. And it was a fun conversational gambit to point out that Beatie could marry a woman because "he" is legally male, but two women like my partner and I can't. Even the straightest of folks have to admit that is pretty freakin' silly !!

Brandi Parker
I'm glad he and his wife had the courage to challanage the current strict code of gender set up by society. I think it will cause people to start talking at least and from that there is the oppertunity to learn and grow and expland how people think. Brandi Parker SWVA Rep Equality Va

Anonymous
Any exposure furthers the visibility of differences in society. Did the Stonewall rioters hurt the gay rights movement?

Anonymous
lWonderful story.

Steve in Chicago
I think, to the fearful, right wing outside world, that it only further demonstrated how seemingly peverted the LGBT community is. They cannot understand this so why shove it in their face and expect them to take it???

Susan
Hardly. Thomas Beatie gave the movement a family-friendly,positive face.

A Real Sex Change
Is giving the public the idea that a SEX CHANGE can be preformed by SOLELY having your breast removed. He/She is Not A Sex Change and is confusing the general public and hurting the Transgender movement and their image in the public. SHE IS NOT A SEX CHANGE!!!! This is not a Male having a baby – it is a Female with a Mastectomy.

Anonymous
He did it for money and exposure.

Anonymous
this guy is fucking retarded . make up your mind live male or female . in old days he would be a sideshow at the circus . he wants his 15 minutes of fame without looking at the consequences . i pity the child for having a selfish parent only thinking of himself .

Anonymous
In order to claim to be a pregnant man, doesn't one have to actually, you know, be a man? Sorry, but Ms. Beatie should've just claimed the truth that hirm is an FTM. Be proud of who you are, and don't claim to be something else.

Ashley Post Op TS
I question Mr. Beaties motives for going public in such an over the top manner. My guess is that it was money and/or fame and book sales that motivated him. It would have been different if he chose to bear a child before his transition.I am a post-op MTF transsexual and I'm finding it hard to relate to another trans person that would do something so drastic AFTER transitioning.

Ginelle
I think so, because there seems to be a lot of scepticism as to whether his claims are legitimate. So now, we await the verdict to see if it is for real, and if not, sadly it will bring very negative feelings towards Transgendered people and it will also set the movement back.

Just Kelly
I have to admit when I first heard the news I had a sinking feeling and thought "Oh, dear god, here we go..." but on further reflection I'm less worried about it than I was. There are people who will make all kinds of political hay about it, of course, but then they do that about everything, and we're no strangers to it. The novelty will wear off, and it will be forgotten, just an odd bit of trivia nobody will quite be able to recall.

Anonymous
I think it was great, but I think it may have confused a lot of uninformed people. The media kept referring to him as a man, not a transgender man.

Billy
It also hurt the rest of the lgbt community. I live in the most conservative part of Tennessee and it's hard enough making it here without freaks like that. I'm sorry, but their's a line to draw. The child will be so confused. It just makes us all look bad.

Anonymous
I can't understand why our community is raking him over the coals like they are. We should unite and protect our own. Isn't it bad enough that he is catching hell from the mainstream folks?

Jenny
I have no problem with him telling his story; it takes more courage than anyone can imagine to come out like that. I just hope everything has been thought through fully and they will be allowed to raise their child in peace without the media continuing to hound them. It is NOT a 'sensational' story; it just proves once again that gender is not binary but many shades of grey.

Stephen in Texas
Male or female - make up your mind. Ms. Beatie wants to have it both ways.

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