Midwifery magazine shares gorgeous cover celebrating trans men who give birth
The Practising Midwife’s May issue celebrated trans fathers. (The Practising Midwife/Lauren Rebbeck)
A British midwifery magazine has shared an incredible cover that shows that, yes, trans men can give birth – and you bet it ticked off transphobes.
In a cover designed by illustrator Lauren Rebbeck for its 24th volume in May, The Practising Midwife emphatically said that trans men who give birth are “amazing”.
Part of the magazine’s Normal Birth series, the cover features a trans Black man after giving birth to a baby as his partner looks on in pride. His fist raised in the air, showing a rainbow tattoo with the words “right on” underneath.
Of course, because their hobby is hate, the cover quickly became the target of transphobic Twitter trolls and anti-trans pressure groups.
After The Practising Midwife shared a roundup of some of its recent covers in June, it abruptly entered the radar of a cavalcade of anti-trans Twitter accounts who decided to focus their collective efforts on attacking a… midwifery magazine.
This being from the same group who have previously assailed a mental health charity for, er, proudly standing up for trans rights.
But the magazine refused to be buffeted by the pile-on and issued a statement on Twitter on Monday (28 June), proudly coming out swinging for trans rights.
“We are committed to representation at all levels and also to ensuring that our publications provide a safe space for all birthing people and maternity care workers to learn, care and share with one another,” it read.
We are committed to representation at all levels and also to ensuring that our publications provide a safe space for all birthing people and maternity care workers to learn, care and share with one another. We do not welcome or invite any commentary that compromises these values.
— ThePractisingMidwife (@TPM_Journal) June 28, 2021
“We do not welcome or invite any commentary that compromises these values.”
And readers and fans alike agreed. Countless trans folk, allies, community leaders and activist groups praised the cover as “beautiful” and for its unbridled ability to rankle transphobes.
These covers are absolutely gorgeous, as a former (fake TV) midwife I wholeheartedly approve.
Props to @TPM_Journal for featuring such an inclusive and diverse range of birth parents. Beautiful images. ? https://t.co/vFHnYiFEKr— David Paisley (@DavidPaisley) June 28, 2021
These covers are glorious. Obviously the haters are out in force. Give them some love. https://t.co/ts1uOlm11t— ??? thisisbiscuit (@we_are_biscuit) June 28, 2021
I'm not sure what's better: these beautiful covers, or that they piss off bigots who are angry about the diversity they portray.
(Actually, the best bit is that the Journal is telling the bigots to stuff it, and not being afraid of their pile-on. Thank you @TPM_Journal) https://t.co/LzJRshFULb— Vex: the very model of a modern major gender role! (@The_Terroirist) June 28, 2021
These are so beautiful. One to add to the #MTPTpride chat about representing all parents ?️??️⚧️♥️ https://t.co/ClejTsVSRF
— Bristol Teacher (@bristol_teacher) June 30, 2021
This owns, especially the trans masc rep on one of the covers.
Support and love your trans masc brothers and siblings. Because their fight is our fight against the bigots of the world who only see us as our genitals *and nothing more*. https://t.co/pb3SchmwWh— Luca Renée Shoal, disaster lesbian? ?️⚧️ (@lucashoal) June 30, 2021
Really nice artwork. The comments are a pile-on by transphobes who are HARD malfunctioning and kicking off because one of the covers is a scene simply showing a trans man giving birth, which y’know **happens**. They can’t handle a drawing of a realistic situation. https://t.co/dopzEdKNvP— gobl-them (@lemon__squeezer) June 30, 2021
The issue itself featured an article that sought to shine a spotlight on transmasculine maternity care as part of a wider conversation on making maternity care in England more inclusive.
It featured insight from an array of healthcare providers and academics exploring the barriers that trans men encounter from healthcare providers while calling for policy-makers to take action.
