What makes a man a man? What makes a woman a woman? Maybe I’m just a rural simpleton, but I’ve always assumed that being a man or a woman had at least something to do with the kind of reproductive organs you have. I know I’m naïve, and forgive my being blunt, but I always assumed that the fact that I have a penis qualified me as being a man, maybe not a manly man, but a man nonetheless. Apparently I was wrong….at least according to the major news organizations in our country.
Have you seen the story of the person in the above picture? Barbara Walters had “him” on her top ten list of fascinating people of 2008. Several months ago ABC News reported the headline, “Pregnant Man Weeks Away from Giving Birth.” CNN reported just over a week ago, “The pregnant man who gave birth to a daughter earlier this year says he is expecting a second child.” These aren't tabloids. They’re supposed to be reputable news organizations. The pregnant man has been on Oprah and Larry King, and the buzz and absurdity goes on and on.
Can I just say something to help clear things up for anyone who’s confused? Here’s my headline….this just in…“The Pregnant Man Has No Penis.” That’s right. This is not a story of a modern biological miracle. The pregnant man in fact has a vagina, uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes…yep, the whole female reproductive system which according to my very basic understanding of gender make him not really a him but a her. There is no real earth shattering story here. It’s a simple case of a woman who feels that she is a man, so she has taken hormone treatments, had some cosmetic surgeries performed, and has begun to act as if she were a man. But, she still has all the raw materials of being a woman.
This story is only a story because the news media has been sensationalizing it and manipulating ignorant people by reporting vague details about the person’s true gender. Most reports, like the ones above, refer to the person only as a man. A few reports say that he was actually “born as a woman,” but even this comment leads one to infer that she had an actual sex change operation. The story just isn’t a real story.
Now, if someday they figure out how to truly impregnate a real man, that will be a story worth reporting. I for one, look forward to that day, because then we men can finally dispel the myth that childbirth is so painful. I mean, come on, how bad can it be?
Just kidding, ladies.
Have you seen the story of the person in the above picture? Barbara Walters had “him” on her top ten list of fascinating people of 2008. Several months ago ABC News reported the headline, “Pregnant Man Weeks Away from Giving Birth.” CNN reported just over a week ago, “The pregnant man who gave birth to a daughter earlier this year says he is expecting a second child.” These aren't tabloids. They’re supposed to be reputable news organizations. The pregnant man has been on Oprah and Larry King, and the buzz and absurdity goes on and on.
Can I just say something to help clear things up for anyone who’s confused? Here’s my headline….this just in…“The Pregnant Man Has No Penis.” That’s right. This is not a story of a modern biological miracle. The pregnant man in fact has a vagina, uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes…yep, the whole female reproductive system which according to my very basic understanding of gender make him not really a him but a her. There is no real earth shattering story here. It’s a simple case of a woman who feels that she is a man, so she has taken hormone treatments, had some cosmetic surgeries performed, and has begun to act as if she were a man. But, she still has all the raw materials of being a woman.
This story is only a story because the news media has been sensationalizing it and manipulating ignorant people by reporting vague details about the person’s true gender. Most reports, like the ones above, refer to the person only as a man. A few reports say that he was actually “born as a woman,” but even this comment leads one to infer that she had an actual sex change operation. The story just isn’t a real story.
Now, if someday they figure out how to truly impregnate a real man, that will be a story worth reporting. I for one, look forward to that day, because then we men can finally dispel the myth that childbirth is so painful. I mean, come on, how bad can it be?
Just kidding, ladies.
6 comments:
AAAHHHHHHHH!!!!! Take that picture down immediately!!! STOP!! I CAN'T TAKE IT!!!
Right on. It's simply a lie to call this person a man. I think they're trying to promote this idea that "you are whoever and whatever you say you are"--even if objective reality says otherwise.
Alright...for all of my readers whose eyes were burning when if they read the blog this morning, I've changed the picture.
You mean the picture was worse than this? : )
jt
My two cents: In the interest of Christian love, I try to call transgendered people whatever they want to be called, so I would refer to this person as a "him," but you are absolutely right that the media is trying to make people think that science has gone so far as to impregnate a man, i.e., a person with male reproductive organs and no uterus. (My father-in-law actually thought this was the case until we explained to him otherwise.) However, I do think this is a significant story (not necessarily newsworthy), and nothing I have read (not that I have read much) has explained this, but how did a biological woman on hormone therapy get pregnant? I would think the hormones one would take in such a case would really mess up a woman's ovulation/menstrual cycle, and I can't believe that this person's doctor didn't tell him to come off the drugs during pregnancy. Rule one of pregnancy is to take no drugs that aren't absolutely necessary...Makes me wonder why my OB-GYN, primary care doc, and psychiatrist ALL got on my case about taking a (relatively safe) antidepressant during my pregnancy.
I agree that we need to find a way to get men pregnant. After all the health problems of my pregnancy, I always said that men should be able to bear children. Benjamin is so stinkin' healthy that he would certainly have no problems, although he can't swallow pills, so I'm not sure how he would take his prenatal vitamins!
I once heard a saying that went like this: "If God had ordained that women and men should give birth in succession, no family would have more than three children." In other words, a woman might be willing to get pregnant more than once, but a man certainly wouldn't. Here's yet another example of where I fall into the "male" category; I refuse to get pregnant ever again!!
Laurie,
Just a few things:
1. I do totally agree that we should show all people Christian love...even so-called transgendered people. Because of that I tried to direct all of my criticisms toward the media coverage, not toward the actual person. While I do think this person has some serious issues, I do believe that God loves the person...and so should we.
I don't necessarily think it is unloving to question whether or not we should call this person a he or a she. The person feels like he is a man and wants to be treated as a man, but the person also has chosen not to have an actual sex change and has chosen to use her female reproductive parts to give birth to a child. Thus, the person is choosing to use her female reproductive system while still demanding to be called a man. That seems to be a contradiction.
2. Jill said that she read that the "pregnant man" actually went off of the hormone treatment prior to and during her pregnancy. That's how she was able to get pregnant and carry the baby to full-term.
3. If they ever do find a way to get men pregnant...hopefully it's long after my male biological clock is done ticking!
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