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THE BABY BUMP: Mr Beatie was born female but decided to become a man 10 years ago. He had breast surgery to flatten his chest, but opted not to change his reproductive organs. -- PHOTO: WWW.DAILYMAIL.CO.UK
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A TRANSGENDER man who is six months pregnant said in the Oprah Winfrey Show that he always wanted to have a child and he considered his pregnancy a miracle.
'It's not a male or female desire to have a child. It's a human desire,' a thinly bearded Thomas Beatie said on Thursday. 'I have a very stable male identity,' he added, saying that pregnancy neither defines him nor makes him feel feminine.
Mr Beatie, 34, who lives in Oregon, was born a woman but decided to become a man 10 years ago. He began taking testosterone treatments and had breast surgery to remove glands and flatten his chest.
'I opted not to do anything with my reproductive organs because I wanted to have a child one day,' he said.
His wife of five years, Nancy, said she inseminated him with a syringe using sperm purchased from a bank.
She also appeared on the show, saying the couple's roles will not change once the baby is born. 'He's going to be the father and I'm going to be the mother,' she said. Their marriage is recognised under law.
'I can't believe she's inside me,' Mr Beatie said as he was being filmed watching an ultrasound image of his daughter. 'We see her as our little miracle.'
In 1999, fellow American Matt Rice gave birth to son Blake. Mr Rice and his partner, both transgender males, decided to become parents by using sperm donors after side effects caused Mr Rice to stop taking testosterone for a few years, the Daily Mirror reported.
REUTERS
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