Transgender man Thomas Beatie set off a firestorm in the LGBT population and the world when he announced that he is having a baby and continues to identify as a man. His article in The Advocate, "Labor of Love," left many, even some transgender people, wondering how someone can identify as male and yet be pregnant. Some have even gone so far to suggest that by bearing the child he is less, or even not, male, despite Beatie's declaration that he continues to identify as male.
But nature is full of pregnant males. Male sea horses, pipefish, and weedy and leafy sea dragons are examples of males that can get pregnant. Some intersex people with XY chromosomes develop female bodies and the pregnant person has a Y chromosome, which is usually associated with males. The argument that it is unnatural for him to have a baby flies in the face of real, live examples from nature where males get pregnant. Beatie, who has had various surgeries and hormone therapies over the years but did not have his ovaries and uterus removed, has chosen to carry a child because his wife could not conceive. The baby is due in July. This is about the birth of a child, and this birth is no more or less miraculous than the birth of any child.
Some suggest that by not fitting in as an everyday man, Beatie makes it harder for the rest of the FTM population. Being "out" is a complicated question for transgender people. Many feel there is nothing to be out about. They don't see themselves as transgender per se, but rather transitioned, as they are finally able to be the man or woman that they felt they were. That said, we, the transgender community, should never discourage people from being out, nor should we dictate what they should do or say once they are out. I remember that in the early '90s many would say we should prohibit outrageously dressed people from marching in pride parades because hate groups would tape them and then use the footage to raise funds to be used against us. The Beatie story has limited relevance to the larger transgender experience, but I am happy for the Beaties, and it is my hope that we will embrace all of our diversity, proud of all our differences because it strengthens us more than we will ever know.
It is astonishing how the Advocate article has sparked media coverage around the world -- from the BBC, The Guardian,People,20/20,TheOprah Winfrey Show. BBC Radio interviewed Rabbi Levi Alter, president of FTM International, an organization that spans 18 countries, and has been serving the female-to-male community for 22 years. In response to Beatie's decision, Alter said, "We support stable, loving families as the best environment to raise children and support reproductive rights as human rights. Everyone has the right to be fully included, fully equal, fully visible, and fully empowered." Well said.
For those who are concerned about transgender people having children, The Guardian, a British newspaper, interviewed Lewis Turner, an English FTM and vice president of the U.K. trans group Press for Change, who stated that studies have shown the children of transgender parents do not face any problems because of their parent being transgender. Other major press included an interview by People of Mara Keisling of the National Center for Transgender Equality in Washington, D.C., and an interview by 20/20 of social worker Ray Carannante of the Gender Identity Project in New York City. Oprah interviewed Beatie himself. To the extent possible, most interviewees have tried to steer away from sensationalism and to some degree have been successful.
It is difficult but not impossible to talk about this story in thoughtful, nuanced, and sensitive ways, and I would argue that we must all come together as a community and do our best to do so. The entire LGBT community needs respect and support for our lives and our families. We need to be prepared to grant respect and support to others who are different from our own particular configuration. What else can we do? We can make statements in support of diversity, the right of everyone to self-determination, and the desire for family, and we can correct misinformation when we hear it. We can tell our own stories and can join in advocating for our rights by telling our stories to our elected leaders and the public that elects them. In the 21st century people have many reproductive choices. The Beatie pregnancy is simply the Beaties' way of using the reproductive choices that were available to them. Most Americans can understand that.
In Response
to "Labor of Love"
