Sweetest*Agony
03-31-2008, 12:29 PM
http://www.kval.com/news/local/17036046.html
By Elissa Harrington
Video BEND - It's not your typical pregnancy and its turning heads all over the nation.
An Oregon man says he's pregnant! According to the gay rights magazine "The Advocate" Thomas Beatie of Bend was born a woman but is now living as a transgendered man who is now supposedly five months expecting.
Years ago, Beatie had reassignment surgery to appear outwardly as a male but never got his reproductive organs changed. He is married to a woman but she is unable to conceive. Now, after artificial insemination Beatie is supposedly the one with a bun in the oven and the word is, it's a girl.
A story like this brings up a lot of questions. Is this type of pregnancy safe? Has it been done before? What are the risks? And what is he thinking?
Well, this type of pregnancy is not common but it has been done before. Transgender advocates I talked to say the biggest concern in this case actually doesn't have to do with the pregnancy itself but rather how uneducated folks are about the transgender community.
Chicora Martin works at the University of Oregon's Gay, Lesbian, Transgender, and Bi-sexual support group. It's a group that works to secure rights for all students and staff and so far, Martin says has been a success. "2 years ago we were identified as one of the top 20 campuses in the nation in the area of sexual orientation and gender identity," she says, "One of the things that we've done is identified single use restroom facilities."
But how does our community as a whole size up?
Over the past several years, the Eugene Human Rights Commission has been pushing a Transgender Anti-discrimination Code which prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment, housing and public accommodations. And even though it didn't pass locally it did pass in state, trumping the previous set back.
But Martin there is room for even more improvement. A big one is health insurance for transitioning. "Transitioning for a lot of folks means taking hormones and getting reassignment surgery and taking those steps," says Martin.
And in this case, while reports of a pregnant transgender man raises some eyebrows, Martin knows someone who's been in Beatie's shoes and for her, this raises concerns of why people can't see the big picture: a loving couple is starting a family.
According to the article in The Advocate there are some health problems that go along with this type of transgender pregnancy.
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The Discussion:
I have seen so many forums on other sites about this issue. Mostly of people putting it down and saying "It is not right".
What is your view?
I personally think that it is wonderfull. Transgenders have the capability to carry a child and then care for the child just like any other human being.
True the child might need explaining to later in life but I have neighboors that are gay and have kids and the kids are wonderfull. Full of light and love for their parents.
By Elissa Harrington
Video BEND - It's not your typical pregnancy and its turning heads all over the nation.
An Oregon man says he's pregnant! According to the gay rights magazine "The Advocate" Thomas Beatie of Bend was born a woman but is now living as a transgendered man who is now supposedly five months expecting.
Years ago, Beatie had reassignment surgery to appear outwardly as a male but never got his reproductive organs changed. He is married to a woman but she is unable to conceive. Now, after artificial insemination Beatie is supposedly the one with a bun in the oven and the word is, it's a girl.
A story like this brings up a lot of questions. Is this type of pregnancy safe? Has it been done before? What are the risks? And what is he thinking?
Well, this type of pregnancy is not common but it has been done before. Transgender advocates I talked to say the biggest concern in this case actually doesn't have to do with the pregnancy itself but rather how uneducated folks are about the transgender community.
Chicora Martin works at the University of Oregon's Gay, Lesbian, Transgender, and Bi-sexual support group. It's a group that works to secure rights for all students and staff and so far, Martin says has been a success. "2 years ago we were identified as one of the top 20 campuses in the nation in the area of sexual orientation and gender identity," she says, "One of the things that we've done is identified single use restroom facilities."
But how does our community as a whole size up?
Over the past several years, the Eugene Human Rights Commission has been pushing a Transgender Anti-discrimination Code which prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment, housing and public accommodations. And even though it didn't pass locally it did pass in state, trumping the previous set back.
But Martin there is room for even more improvement. A big one is health insurance for transitioning. "Transitioning for a lot of folks means taking hormones and getting reassignment surgery and taking those steps," says Martin.
And in this case, while reports of a pregnant transgender man raises some eyebrows, Martin knows someone who's been in Beatie's shoes and for her, this raises concerns of why people can't see the big picture: a loving couple is starting a family.
According to the article in The Advocate there are some health problems that go along with this type of transgender pregnancy.
------------------------------
The Discussion:
I have seen so many forums on other sites about this issue. Mostly of people putting it down and saying "It is not right".
What is your view?
I personally think that it is wonderfull. Transgenders have the capability to carry a child and then care for the child just like any other human being.
True the child might need explaining to later in life but I have neighboors that are gay and have kids and the kids are wonderfull. Full of light and love for their parents.