Transgender man gives birth to baby girl

By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk • July 4, 2008 - 0:17

Thomas Beatie is the "first" man to give birth

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Thomas Beatie, who was born a woman but after a combination of surgery and hormones lives as a man, has given birth to a girl at a hospital in Oregon. Mr Beatie's story was first featured on Oprah Winfrey's talk show in April.

Although Mr Beatie, 34, has been legally defined as a man since the age of 24, he kept his female reproductive organs. Through artificial insemination using donor sperm and his own eggs, he gave birth on Sunday.

Speaking to People Magazine, Mr Beatie said: "The only thing different about me is that I can't breast-feed my baby. But a lot of mothers don't." 'This is because he has had his breasts surgically removed.

His wife of five years, Nancy, is unable to conceive and this prompted Mr Beatie to suspend his hormone treatment and resume menstruating two years ago.

"I actually opted not to do anything to my reproductive organs because I wanted to have a child one day. I see pregnancy as a process and it doesn’t define who I am,” Mr Beatie told TV talk show host Oprah Winfrey in April.

In a letter to The Advocate that ran in late March, Beattie wrote, "I am transgender, legally male, and legally married to Nancy. Unlike those in same-sex marriages, domestic partnerships, or civil unions, Nancy and I are afforded the more than 1,100 federal rights of marriage. 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."

He also told The Advocate's readers: "Our situation sparks legal, political, and social unknowns. We have only begun experiencing opposition from people who are upset by our situation. Doctors have discriminated against us, turning us away due to their religious beliefs. Health care professionals have refused to call me by a male pronoun or recognize Nancy as my wife. Receptionists have laughed at us. Friends and family have been unsupportive; most of Nancy’s family doesn’t even know I’m transgender."

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