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March 26, 2008, 8:48PM
Transgender dad says he'll give birth in July
By DON COLBURN
The Portland Oregonian
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A transgender man in Bend, Ore., claims he is five months pregnant — in a case that would stretch the meaning of the 21st-century family and the limits of personal pronouns.
But what sounds on the Internet like science fiction or tabloid hype may be more a matter of semantics, hormones and personal choice.
The parent-to-be was born female but identifies as a man, he writes in his first-person account posted this week by The Advocate, a national gay publication. He legally changed his name to Thomas Beatie and married a woman named Nancy. Beatie declined to answer questions, citing an exclusive contract with another media outlet.
About 10 years ago, Beatie underwent breast-removal surgery and started male hormones, he writes, but kept the uterus and female genitals. After moving from Hawaii to Bend, the couple decided two years ago to have a child.
Nancy couldn't carry the child because she had had a hysterectomy. So Beatie stopped testosterone injections, and menstrual periods returned within four months. He said he conceived through artificial insemination at home with sperm bought from a sperm bank and that he didn't take fertility drugs.
Doctors said the case, while exceptional, is believable.
"Biologically, that all sounds plausible," said Dr. Mark Nichols, medical director of Planned Parenthood of the Columbia/Willamette and professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Oregon Health and Science University.
"The definition of family has changed a lot," Nichols said. "There's not a set definition anymore."
Beatie's daughter is due around July 3, he writes in the "First Person" feature in the April 8 edition of The Advocate. It was released online earlier this week and picked up on national television.
"To Nancy, I am her husband carrying our child," he writes. "I will be my daughter's father, and Nancy will be her mother. We will be a family."
Transgender dad says he'll give birth in July
By DON COLBURN
The Portland Oregonian
TOOLS
Email Get section feed
Print Subscribe NOW
Comments Recommend
A transgender man in Bend, Ore., claims he is five months pregnant — in a case that would stretch the meaning of the 21st-century family and the limits of personal pronouns.
But what sounds on the Internet like science fiction or tabloid hype may be more a matter of semantics, hormones and personal choice.
The parent-to-be was born female but identifies as a man, he writes in his first-person account posted this week by The Advocate, a national gay publication. He legally changed his name to Thomas Beatie and married a woman named Nancy. Beatie declined to answer questions, citing an exclusive contract with another media outlet.
About 10 years ago, Beatie underwent breast-removal surgery and started male hormones, he writes, but kept the uterus and female genitals. After moving from Hawaii to Bend, the couple decided two years ago to have a child.
Nancy couldn't carry the child because she had had a hysterectomy. So Beatie stopped testosterone injections, and menstrual periods returned within four months. He said he conceived through artificial insemination at home with sperm bought from a sperm bank and that he didn't take fertility drugs.
Doctors said the case, while exceptional, is believable.
"Biologically, that all sounds plausible," said Dr. Mark Nichols, medical director of Planned Parenthood of the Columbia/Willamette and professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Oregon Health and Science University.
"The definition of family has changed a lot," Nichols said. "There's not a set definition anymore."
Beatie's daughter is due around July 3, he writes in the "First Person" feature in the April 8 edition of The Advocate. It was released online earlier this week and picked up on national television.
"To Nancy, I am her husband carrying our child," he writes. "I will be my daughter's father, and Nancy will be her mother. We will be a family."
