Friday, November 14, 2008

Should Thomas Beatie be considered a "pregnant man" or "woman?"

First I want to say, that I am very happy for their family! I think they are just like any other family wanting to start off with experiencing the joy of children. Well, sometimes joy..YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN! ;) However, some are not so quick to call Thomas a "man" because of him being able to conceive. How do you feel and what are your thoughts about it? Here is the article: Barbara Walters Exclusive: Pregnant Man Expecting Second Child In First Interview Since Giving Birth, Thomas Beatie Tells Barbara Walters About Life With Daughter Susan By ALAN B. GOLDBERG and KATIE N. THOMSON Nov. 13, 2008
Thomas Beatie, the controversial "pregnant man" who gave birth to a daughter earlier this year, reveals to Barbara Walters in an exclusive interview that he is pregnant again with his second child. Thomas Beatie, a transgender, welcomed a baby girl, Susan, June 29. Since sharing the story of Susan's birth with ABC News, he and his wife, Nancy Beatie, hadn't spoken to the media until they sat down last month with Walters. Thomas Beatie, who is in his first trimester, tells Walters he did not go back on the male hormone testosterone after Susan's birth so he could have another baby. "I feel good," he said. "I had my checkups with my hormone level, as far as the HCG. And everything is right on track." He says the baby is due June 12. Thomas Beatie also spoke to Walters about Susan's birth, which was not via Caesarean section. He was in labor for 40 hours; Nancy Beatie cut the umbilical cord. 'We're Just a Family' In the spring, Thomas Beatie wrote an article in the national gay magazine The Advocate, revealing that he was legally male and that he was pregnant. He released a photo showing his bearded face and pregnant belly. The news -- and the controversial photo -- ignited a media frenzy and provoked questions about traditional notions about sex and gender. "Hiding a pregnant man is like hiding an 800-pound gorilla," he said of his decision to go public. "Nancy and I wanted to tell our story from our own mouths before it got out." Thomas Beatie says he was surprised at how quickly the news of the "pregnant man" spread. "I was shocked that it looped around the world in 24 hours," he told Walters. "I mean, it was on Chinese Web sites and, you know, Web sites in Romania and Russia and Brazil." He became an instant target of the tabloids and paparazzi, and fodder for talk shows and late-night television. Some people called Thomas Beatie a freak. He received death threats, and thousands of hateful comments still litter the Internet. To this day, he continues to receive anonymous hate messages. Since Susan's birth four months ago, Thomas Beatie, 34, and his wife, Nancy Beatie, 46, have been living a quiet life in Bend, Ore., and have rarely been seen in public, keeping their blinds drawn and monitoring surveillance cameras that surround their property. Despite concerns for his family's safety, Thomas Beatie says that he won't let fear rule their lives and that he feels they are a traditional family. "We are a man, woman and child. It's ironic that we are so different but yet, we're just a family, just the same as anyone else," he said. When asked why he makes many people uneasy, Thomas Beatie said, "I think that people are not used to seeing the image of a pregnant man. And it's causing a lot of people to think. … I used my female reproductive organs to become a father."
(MORE ON WEBSITE)
Stina

1 comment:

Tiff said...

That is a crazy story....I had not heard about this..could not imagine my hubby being preggers..lololol...man would he whine and whine...haha...