Yesterday, Michele blogged about how Oprah’s show on Friday would be her saddest day. This is the show in which Oprah would talk about the death of her beloved cocker spaniel, Sophie.
While that will indeed be sad, today has surely got to be Oprah’s weirdest show – ever. In fact, it may be the weirdest show ever in the history of talk shows (and I am including Geraldo Rivera and Jerry Springer here!).
Today’s show will deal with a man…who is pregnant. No, it is not some freak of nature occurrence and yes, he really is pregnant. Thomas Beatie, a 34-year-old male from Bend, Oregon, used to be female. Word leaked of Beatie’s pregnancy last month, but most people just assumed it was a hoax. The rumor really picked up speed when he said he would not give any interviews until April Fools Day.
Well, turns out, there is no joke. Beatie was Tracy Lagondino and dated men until her 20s. In fact, she was a Miss Hawaii Teen USA finalist. After puberty, Tracy, who had always felt like a male, became more masculine. In a lesbian relationship, Tracy started to research what it meant to be transgender. She began taking testosterone and met her future wife, Nancy. Tracy had her breasts removed and legally became male. However, Beatie decided to keep his female reproductive organs, saying he wanted to have a child one day.
That day is coming soon. Beatie and his wife wanted to start a family. However, Nancy had suffered from endometriosis and had a hysterectomy, so she was unable to conceive. Beatie decided to stop taking his testosterone, let his menstrual cycle resume, and then he became pregnant through artificial insemination.
Beatie is now five months pregnant and as you might imagine, this story has caused quite a stir, especially with family groups. I just don’t know how I feel about this (but you can find out how others feel in this forum thread). I am rarely speechless, but this story just blows my mind. On one hand, I think maybe the child will feel loved, knowing that his or her parents wanted him or her so badly, that daddy carried the baby. On the other hand (and this hand is much bigger), it is just weird. How can this poor kid not be the center of controversy and ridicule by not only other children, but adults as well? Personally, I think if had wanted a baby that badly, I would have looked into adoption. Only time will tell how this bizarre story of transgenderism affects the child.
I cannot wait to see what Oprah has to say about this one!