Eighteen years after Thomas Beatie became the subject of intense global media attention as the 'First Pregnant Man,' he is reflecting on the experience and sharing his perspective on family life and transgender youth. Beatie, now 53, lives a conventional suburban life in Phoenix, Arizona, with his wife Amber and their four children: Susan (17), Jenson (16), Austin (14), and Jackson (8).
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, Beatie recalled the intense scrutiny and cruel commentary he faced when images of him pregnant with his first child, Susan, emerged in 2008. He described being dismissed as a 'circus freak' and an 'abomination,' with strangers wishing death upon him and his unborn child. The media storm was so significant that he felt it necessary to write an article for The Advocate, an LGBTQ magazine, detailing his experience. "People online, people in the media, were just very cruel," Beatie said. "I just didn't understand it."
Beatie's journey to fatherhood was unconventional. Born biologically female and named Trace La Gondido, he legally transitioned and changed his name to Thomas in his early twenties. He had kept his reproductive organs and, after marrying his first wife Nancy in 2003, he carried their children because Nancy had undergone a hysterectomy. After years of seeking fertility doctors willing to work with him, Beatie became pregnant with triplets. The first pregnancy was ectopic, resulting in a medical emergency. The second pregnancy resulted in the birth of his daughter, Susan.
Legal challenges followed Susan's birth. Beatie was initially registered as the mother on her birth certificate. To be legally recognized as the father, he and Nancy ultimately adopted all three children they had together. The family later moved to Arizona to escape the intense media attention. Their marriage to Nancy ended in divorce in 2012, which itself became a legal battle as an Arizona judge initially refused to grant the divorce, stating the marriage was not legal because Beatie had borne children and was therefore female. Beatie fought the decision, asserting that carrying a child did not make him female and that his role was that of a husband and father.
Beatie met his current wife, Amber, and they have since had a child together, with Amber carrying the pregnancy. He recently underwent lower surgery, which he described as being about 'being functional' and the ability to urinate standing up.
Reflecting on the current climate surrounding transgender youth, Beatie expressed concern about the increasing emphasis on affirmative therapy for children. "I'm glad I'm not a teenager today because, if I were, I have a feeling I would have taken hormones at a young age and maybe had surgery much sooner and I would not have had the children that I have today," he stated. He believes that without significant support for early transition, young people might not have the maturity to understand their own desires. "When you're younger you think you've got it all figured out, but you have to remember your brain isn't really developed until you're 25," he explained, noting that his own desires and outlooks changed significantly in his thirties.
Beatie emphasized that his journey, while unconventional, was about fulfilling his desire to be a father and a husband. "I never felt like a mother - I was a vessel bringing this life into the world. That didn't make me female. My role in society is, and was, as a husband and a father," he said. He now focuses on living authentically and being visible, believing that a functional and happy life speaks volumes. His eldest daughter, Susan, who is nearing her 18th birthday, will be starting a psychology course at university, with a desire to understand human behavior.
Beatie also touched upon his past, acknowledging his upbringing as Trace La Gondido and the loss of his mother at age 12. He expressed regret that his father died in 2015 without meeting his grandchildren. Looking at his daughter Susan, Beatie asked, "Does this look like a monster to you?" highlighting the humanity of his children against the backdrop of past vitriol.
