Saturday, July 5, 2008

The Birth of Beatie's Baby


Should there be other men who wish to become pregnant, carry the baby for the full 9 month term, and make a normal delivery, their role model and trailblazer has completed that journey. Of course, they should have functional reproductive organs too, (aside from their manhood) which would make them genuinely androgynous; but that would also leave doubts about being "men of miracles" in this highly skeptical age. However, Thomas Beatie, 34 years old and married to Nancy is the first husband to become a mother, and he will still be the father to his baby daughter. That, is multi-tasking of the highest order.

Beatie was born as Tracy Lagondino, was a former girl scout, model, and beauty pageant finalist. He lived as a man in his 20's and officially changed his gender. He had taken testosterone treatments to grow his facial hair but kept his reproductive organs intact. He however, had his breasts removed. That would effectively eliminate breast feeding from his motherly duties as a father, or whatever he wants to be and however he wants to be referred to. According to his wife of 5 years who has 2 daughters from a previous marriage, their roles will not change, and Mr. Beatie...errrrr Mrs. Beatie...ahh Thomas, will still be the dad.

He made headlines last March when he announced his miraculous pregnancy, and even appeared on Oprah. The thought that a man could become pregnant and possess strong motherly instincts was an incredible idea, but the process of gender reassignment explains it all logically. It involves several stages. Diagnosis for transsexuals is the first and is done by a psychiatrist. Counselling is done before, during and after treatment. The second stage is real life, where the patients must live their lives in their chosen gender for a significant period; change their name, legal status, clothes, and appearance; among friends, family and at work. They are given hormone treatment during this period.

Stage 3 is hormone treament. Women becoming men are given androgens for a deeper voice, facial and body hair, and the lightening and ceasing of menstrual periods. For men becoming women, oestrogen treatment develops breast tissues and a more feminine figure. But the voice and hair remain, and they will have to learn to speak falsetto. The last stage is surgery, but not everyone will have it. Before a woman's breasts are removed, she will have to live as a man for a year. Her uterus and ovaries will also be removed as the testosterone will increase the risk of cancer. Genital surgery will follow after at least 2 years.

The good news for those married gay men is that creating female genitalia is a highly successful procedure. According to those who've had it, their male partners couldn't tell the difference. Perhaps because they were not interested in it before.and don't really know how it looks. But creating the male genitalia is more complicated because of the rise and fall process of this attached article. The bad news for married lesbians is that only a third of transsexuals want to have a penis constructed. This is understandable because this creation does not have the brains of a man in it. But this low preference would definitely lessen the chances for a real miracle. A woman turned into a man, who actually fertilizes the female egg with a created instrument. That's a bigger story than test tube babies, and it could make men obsolete.

Haarrrrwwwwwk...Twoooooooph...Ting!

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't know about you, but I think the whole transgender thing is pretty disgusting. Now it's going to bring a child into it's lifestyle?

Isn't growing up hard enough without adding the stress of trying to explain your parents' choices to others? And you know his peers will find out. Dad/mom was on Oprah for God's sake. Poor kid...

Anonymous said...

@mikey777, I'm pretty sure they'd say that the only choice they made was to stop pretending they were someone else. Believe me, it's much better to be honest at the beginning than to undergo gender reassignment years later when you can't take it anymore. THAT is more likely to traumatize kids.

Kim said...

I find this rather absurd Durano...
a woman becoming a "man" who becomes pregnant !!!
*shaking head*

Anonymous said...

The story is unusual but it doesn't bother me at all. I mean, I'm sure he feels better as a "he" and it's not like gender reassignment is treated lightly (psychiatric evaluation etc.). So be it!

Why would the kid be traumatized or stressed? Parents are parents, two guys, two girls, a guy and a girl, it's all the same!

SheR. said...

This is such an interesting article. The freedom of choice in this world has no barriers. Moral and ethics seem to be the rules that bind or bound us.

I congratulate this brave man :)

durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spit said...

Hi Mikey777,

The couple have thought this out beforehand and they have come to terms with the consequences as they see it. Of course, there could be other issues or problems they haven't considered that may arise in the future, but their resolve to go through with it and the deep sense of commitment would give them the courage to face up to these.

I can understand why some would find this situation unnatural. Perhaps our fixation to gender roles come into play which is also perfectly normal. Their reasons however have nothing to do with gender roles or lifestyles, but a normal human need to have offspring.

As far as I'm concerned, if they can be happy in that it's okay with me. But I don't think getting pregnant would become me. :-) --Durano, done!

durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spit said...

Hi Mrs. Micah,

I agree with your statement. That it is much better to get the kids adjusted to gender reassignment from the time of their birth, and experience the normal family relationships under this setting than much later.They could even get to compare families under the "normal" gender roles.

Most importantly, they will not have a feeling of being deceived nor betrayed by concealing the truth. :-) --Durano, done!

durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spit said...

Hello Kim,

Legally, he's a man. But he retained his female reproductive organs. He did not have his uterus and ovaries removed, although he had changed his name, appearance and some physical aspects through testosterone treatment. He is actually at risk of having cancer, and perhaps would need to have the reproductive organs removed after this birth.

The world is changing Kim. Transsexual women are those who want relationships with women but as a man. Lesbians are those who want relationships with other women or lesbians, but as a woman with same sex preference. The same applies to transsexual men.

Actually, these have existed long ago. Christine Jorgensen was a man who had surgery to become a woman, and that was way back in the 50's I think. There's just more of them now and they are more courageous than before.

Pretty soon what the world knows as normal will no longer apply. :-) --Durano, done!

durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spit said...

Hi Zhu,

I have no argument Zhu. I perfectly agree with you. As a matter of fact, I've seen better parents from a homosexual couple than from a normal couple.

I have no experience with transsexuals as parents though, but I know a couple who have lived together as Mr. and Mrs. where the other looks like a man but no surgery undergone. They have been together for 40 years.:-) --Durano, done!

durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spit said...

Hi Sher,

Thanks for the comment Sher. I congratulate this man...errrrr woman...ahhhh Thomas too for coming out in the open.

How's the new place. Might there be transsexuals there too? LOL! :-) --Durano, done!

The Fitness Diva said...

Just crazy, I say! And who got him pregnant? (I missed that part, I guess!). Okay... the kid is going to be sooooo confused on who's who and who does what. I'm not against people changing their sex if that's what makes them happy, but afterwards, you should stick to your newly assigned role! lol
You canNOT have it all! ;)

Kim said...

ah maybe I'm old fashioned Durano ;)
but I like the fact that men are men and women are women...
perhaps we need a new name for people who wish to be re assigned a new gender..
eg..the woman who wanted to become a man who wanted to become pregnant...lol
*still shaking head*

durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spit said...

Hi Fitness Diva,

Thomas was artificially inseminated by an unnamed donor

He has stated that the role as a father will remain, but that he always wanted a child of his own such that his female reproductive organs were retained until he gives birth to one. I suppose this will be that time.

He also said that the desire to have a child was not out of gender roles or maternal instincts, but out of a human need for an offspring that's part of him.

It's hard to understand what we cannot experience nor would want to experience,but the way he speaks about this is that it seems perfectly clear to him.

If the child could be told the truth at an early age, it will be more acceptable and less confusing i guess. I wish them luck. :-) --Durano, done!

durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spit said...

Hello Kim,

I am afraid that there are lesser of those "men are men, women are women" types as we move into the 21st century.

This began with so called metro-sexuals, men who groom themselves as vainly as women, and the resurgence of a more subtle form of women empowerment who are more aggressive and determined than the men.

In the future, we may have more Gay married couples, Androgynous Couples, Lesbian Married couples, and Old Fashioned married couples. LOL! :-) --Durano, done!

Jena Isle said...

I don't want to be judgmental but things have their natural order.

Sometimes when we tamper with nature, chaos results. Just like what we are doing now with animal clones (and probably human clones too?)..These always have a negative effect.

A very controversial post. Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

Certainly a brave man who is true to himself. Not many people have the courage to live the way they want without being affected by people's opinion around them.

durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spit said...

Hi Jena Isle,

The argument here is that they are not tampering with nature, unlike the GMO's where they change the gene structure of the organisms and add new genes that was totally alien to the plant or animal.

Nature also has its deviations from the norm, like the macapuno which is a different genetic structure from it's coconut tree host. It is unlike the other fruits in the same tree.

The concept is that they are following the logical flow of nature that was diverted by a change that took place. What that change is cannot be pinpointed at the moment.

Thomas gave birth on the basis of female reproductive organs he still had, although his outward appearance and general disposition is that of a male. Whether or not he will complete the process by removing his uterus and ovaries - and attaching male genitalia is a decision he will have to make.

Of course this is debatable, but as far as his brain tells him, he is a man, regardless of what's in his pants. So which one would take precedence, the brain or the physical genitals? It's certainly not for me to say. :-) --Durano, done!

durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spit said...

HI bk,

WELCOME!

I agree. He is a very brave man despite the absence of that physical attachment that defines most men who are not even brave.

I salute this person. :-) --Durano, done!

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