Labor Of Love- Thomas Beatie

[Guest Blake]

http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid52947.asp

I absolutely love this story; I can't get enough of it. I love breaking gender traditions, and I wish the best of luck to Thomas Beatie, his wife, and their daughter.

- Blake

[Guest Michelle M]

Does anyone remember the movie, Junior? Truely, life imitates art.

[Guest Rika-chama]

Does anyone remember the movie, Junior? Truely, life imitates art.

Is that the one with Arnold Schwarzinegger?

Anyways I wish them the best of luck. He's truly a brave guy

[Guest GoldenKirbichu]

I think this is incredible. I hope him the best of luck.

I also hope that the pregnancy goes well.

And I'm saddened at the number of transphobic comments I've seen from it.

[Guest raydub]

my fiancee printed out the article and everytime she reads it she cries (happy tears).

it probably hits pretty close to home because we arent sure if she would be able to safely have another child. i told her that if i had to, i would birth a child for us, but shes afraid that i wouldnt be happy doing it and that my feeling bad would affect the child.

anyway.. its a great article. and the 20/20 segment on it last thursday set up the conversation between us and the kid about what it means to be transgender and that i am trans to my seven-year-old. (its what she chose to watch on tv the other night... ) note: it went well.

-Ray

[Guest dolly]

i think its a great story just urks me how much controversy people are finding in it an ofcourse how the media is portraying it.

[Guest Cat]

I think it's so awesome that they're able to start a family. Someone I knew said that they don't think he should be referred to as a "man" when he still has his reproductive organs, so I tried to gently give more information about transgenders/transsexuals.

Not only do I wish them love and luck in their pregnancy, but I also hope this can be an "opening" like it was for raydub, where people can use it to start dialogues about what it means to be trans.

~Cat

[MaryEllen]

The Pregnant Man Gives Birth

Thomas Beatie, also known as The Pregnant Man, has given birth to a girl, he confirms to PEOPLE exclusively

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20...ss-topheadlines

[Guest Drew]

congratulations to them! i wish them the best of luck

[Guest Christine-Louise]

It was one of the items on the BBC TV news this morning, here in the UK.

[Guest Christine-Louise]

You know since I first saw the item on TV this morning I have been thinking, and still I can't make up My mind if it helps the Transgender community or not, one way I think it has to be good then another it's not so good, the controversy is the bad aspect, bringing Transgender issues into the public eye is the good part, and I think that it can help us, but the controversy I'm afraid I don't think that I like that, as it could give the impression that we can change back and forth as the mood takes us, depending on how we feel, and I do not think that that is the case for the majority of us, we have chosen the lifestyle that we have wanted from birth, and should have had but for a nasty quirk of fate, being born with the wrong body was not our choice, it was forced onto us.

But I do think that reading the answers on here it seems to depend a lot on which Gender that you are, as to how you feel about it, Mmm more controversy.

This I think will rumble on for a long long time.

Should Admin think that I am too controversial with this please remove it.

[Guest]

All opinions within the rules are fine as long as they aren't harmfull, illegal and are within the rules. Your post is fine. Here's an earlier thread on the same topic.

http://www.lauras-playground.com/forums/in...t=0&start=0

Laura

[Guest Christine-Louise]

Thank you Laura I was not meaning to cause any problems just My thoughts, thank you for the link very thought provoking and interesting to read, I'm not so alone in My feelings as I thought, we have to be so very careful in just what the general public see and hear of us, when I go out I am extremely courteous to everyone, and have compliments to the fact and that is nice, people around here where I live who know what I am think that I am a wonderful person, that's all that matters to be seen in a good light, and that is always My aim.

[Guest Leah1026]

Woot! A trans positive story about Thomas and discrimination we face:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/20...ed=networkfront

[Guest Chris_421]

Personally, while the media buzzed around the issue and the trans community was brought into the light, I would have rather that he kept it too himself and his family as other transmen who have been pregnant have. I don't agree with it, but that's not my say and I respect the right for people to have the freedom to do what they chose, unless it's quite unlawful.

I don't think it really helped, because since the hype about the first man getting pregnant, what good has it done the community? I don't see any, unless something happened on a local level that I would not have heard of. We just went back under the rug. Every time I hear about it I roll my eyes, it's all I've heard of anything national doing with the trans community recently.

While that is my opinion, I hope that they are a happy and healthy family and continue to be.

[Guest]

One of my daily tasks is being a news editor for our Transgender news page http://www.lauras-playground.com/trans_news.htm . You can often tell how many newspapers and media pick up a transgender story. If a transgender person committs a crime it is published everywhere. The same is true for sensastionalist news such as this story. However when one of our own dies in a brutal crime it is either not carried or buried in the back of the paper. Good news about us though available everyday is rarely carried.

Laura