Understanding Thomas
Videos like the one above make me absolutely disgusted with Fox News. The fact that the station allows this bigotry to infiltrate the airways is horrific. Though, most of what Fox News puts on the air is complete trash to begin with. But this video highlights the attitudes and bigotry that have come out of the announcement of a transgender man becoming pregnant.
I’ve watched the story of Thomas Beatie unfold over the last few weeks, and am not at all surprised by a lot of that hateful comments that have been directed at Thomas and his family. For starters, I can completely understand why this story would be a bit confusing for people. Initially, it confused me a little, and I pride myself on being a bit more open minded than the general public. Ultimately, it wasn’t as complicated as I thought. If you get over the initial shock of something like this happening, it isn’t that far out. But after listening to a lot of honest comments from people trying to understand, I realized that most of this country (and probably the world) does not understand the transgender community. There have been moments in my life where I’ve needed clarification, or had to ask questions to fully understand what a transgender individual might be going through. Part of the human experience is understanding our differences and attempting to make sense of them.
The issue is not that complex and I’m beginning to think I should copy and paste this in an email sent to the producers of that show. Thomas Beatie was born, genetically, a woman. But in his childhood he felt as though he was born the wrong gender. He took hormones and altered his physical appearance, so that the outside would match how he felt internally. However, he elected to not have sexual reassignment surgery, which is very common among the transgender community. The state in which he lives allowed him to legally change his sex to male. After his wife was unable to have children, it was decided that he would take himself off of his hormones, and attempt to get pregnant. And he did. The end.
The only thing that needs to be understood is that the reason Thomas got pregnant, was because he could. He wanted his family to grow, just like you and I would choose to do if we were able. Perhaps we could stop making judgements and assumptions about people like Thomas, and first ask questions to help us understand. Referring to an unborn baby as “the little Ewok she’s going to crap out” is offensive to me, and it should be to you. Allowing David Letterman to refer to Thomas as “an androgynous freak-show” is not acceptable. The members of the media who have defamed this man and his family, should be held accountable for their words.
But in America, poking fun of that what we don’t understand is our thing. As a proud gay man, I understand the power of words. People can pass Letterman’s comments off as “comedy,” and allow Greg Gutfield and Joe Scarborough to hide behind freedom of speech. But allowing prominent media figures to defame a person, does not raise the level of understanding. Given the transgender community is relatively small and often voiceless, I’m not surprised that we allow these things to go unchecked. I just hope there are a few more people in this world who feel the same.
Congratulations to you, Thomas Beatie.
Wow… just… wow.
People need to be shot.
Harsh words, though not entirely un-funny. I’d laugh at a comedy show but in the “news” it’s just mean-spirited and bigoted.
You people need help. This is NOT NORMAL!
This “Thomas” person is NOT A MAN, she is a delusional woman who needs psychiatric treatment. And her wife, would she be considered a lesbian or what would you call a person in love with a woman who thinks she’s a man.
The whole situation is scary.
I am scared for the child that has to endure years of humiliation growing up trying to explain that Mommy is Daddy.
Tina,
I am a big fan of discourse and debate. And as the moderator of these comments, I could have simply just deleted yours. But in the spirit of discourse, I’ve allowed your opinion to remain here.
What scares you the most, I imagine, is the idea that gender and sexuality is actually quite fluid. Taking into account your words on this subject, I imagine that you are not very understanding of things that are different from yourself or your world. But let me ask you a challenging question. How does Thomas and his family affect you and your family?
Most families these days do not follow a strict two parent married model. Families are as diverse as our country has become. We have grandparents, single parents, uncles, aunts, older brothers, friends, cousins, and the courts raising children. Certainly this isn’t new information to you. So if a child, is raised in a loving home, what difference does the makeup of that home make?
I imagine you can’t answer that question without calling Thomas some derogatory name, or telling me about how homosexuality or transgenderism is inherently wrong. Though i’d like you to prove me wrong…for the sake of discourse.
-Gay Cousin Teddy
Actually Tina, the correct phrasing would be, “Daddy is mommy,” not the other way around.
I’d agree with you on your statement that Thomas isn’t a “man,” but only in the biologic sense. He lacks the primary male gender characteristic, therefore he’s not biologically male.
However, that’s where the agreement ends.
The thing I find scary is that the “years of humiliation” that this child will endure will be at the hands of people like you, rigidly enforcing the “norms” of society.
Please don’t automatically assume I am here to spew negativity or hate. Why would I call anyone a derogatory name? Do you think all heterosexuals that don’t understand homosexuals, or transgenders, or transexuals automatically hate them? I don’t do that.
I really just don’t understand what motivates a person to do these thinks that I see as irrational. I am not trying to be “rigid”, the norms of society is that a woman gives birth to a baby. Is the idea of enforcing that norm such a bad thing?
It really is a scary thing for me to see this. The idea that someone would want to change their physical sex instead of choosing homosexuality, why couldn’t this woman just be a lesbian and not cut off her breasts? Then her wife marrying a transgender, what is her sexual preference? A pregnant transgender. I can’t get my mind around that and come up with anything rational.
Maybe it’s because I’m Catholic, I don’t know but I just think the whole thing is WRONG on so many levels. I accept (or maybe it’s tolerate?)homosexuality.
Not to sound cliche’ but seriously my best friend is a gay man, we grew up together in high school. We’ve been friends for 25 years. I don’t understand his feelings at all, to me it’s not natural, but he feels them, he loves his boyfriend deeply and I love him so he is just my friend who I love. He doesn’t feel like a woman trapped in a mans body, he feels like a man that loves men. And I can’t blame him, I love men, too.
But transgenderism? WHY? If this lady didn’t want to be a woman anymore, then why is she doing a very womanly thing: carrying a child in her womb?
Cutting your boobs off and taking hormones won’t make you a man, it’ll make you a woman that I feel needs psychiatric treatment. And I still feel scared for the child. Rigid or not, this is NOT normal, not natural and 99% of the population would agree with me, that we shouldn’t be forced to accept it. Again, I am not going to publicly bash anyone, but I’d want nothing to do with them.
But kids are cruel, and I predict a lot of bruises and bloody noses in this kid’s future.
By the way, I think the people in that Fox video are arrogant idiots. Especially the woman. The things she said are evil. No one deserves to feel severe physical pain giving birth. The fact that she’d want anyone to commit suicide reinforces the hatred she harbors for humanity.
I agree with the beginning comments from the first person who spoke, but his delivery was awful.
It was so apparent during her interview, that Oprah thinks it’s nuts but at least she tactfully pretended to understand and accept what “Thomas” was saying to her.
I don’t think all heterosexuals that don’t understand homosexuals, or transgenders, or transexuals automatically hate them. The ones that are adamant about shouting that it’s “not normal” clearly have problems with us though.
Enforcing archaic ideas is always wrong. If we didn’t renounce them women would still be less than men. Black people would be slaves. And gay people would likely be beaten to death for just being who they are.
Transgenerism is not about who you’re attracted to, it’s about a personal identity. Thomas couldn’t be a lesbian, because he is not a woman, at least not in the way he identifies. Just because your gay friend doesn’t feel like a woman trapped in a mans body doesn’t mean that there aren’t people out there that do; and just as you don’t understand his feelings, you will never understand those of Thomas.
As for his wife, she doesn’t love men or women … she loves Thomas. His gender is irrelevant, as it should be.
Additionally, he is giving birth to the child because he wants to have a family. His wife is unable to give birth and he wants the child to be biologically linked to them. The drive to perpetuate ones family is not “womanly.”
You’re right, you’re not publicly bashing anyone, you’re bashing an entire group of people. Spouting about how “cutting your boobs off and taking hormones won’t make you a man, it’ll make you a woman that I feel needs psychiatric treatment,” is disrespectful and shameful. You have no understanding about transgenderism and you clearly have no desire to learn. You may not be trying to be rigid, but you’re failing miserably.
“Enforcing archaic ideas is always wrong. If we didn’t renounce them women would still be less than men. Black people would be slaves. And gay people would likely be beaten to death for just being who they are.”
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Regarding your ridiculous irrelevant comments about the blacks and women, which, have nothing to do with the topic at hand, there is a difference between racism, sexism (which are thoughts and actions of ignorant and evil people full of hate against the races, sexes, religions, etc.of other people that they don’t belong to, fear, or don’t understand) and a person with an unnatural VOLUNTARY desire to mutilate her own body.
Let me get this straight. You’re saying my idea of human beings behaving naturally, loving and feeling happy with the gift of their beautiful body is antiquated? I’m born with a vagina and breasts and a uterus. You’re born with a penis and testicles. You’re delusional if you think that it’s normal behavior for a person to cut out natural organs because that person is disdainful of their own body and/or an entire gender of people that they happen to be one of. This person is not uncomfortable with their gender, this person is uncomfortable with themselves.
“She loves Thomas”.
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Then she’s just as confused as “Thomas”.
“You’re right, you’re not publicly bashing anyone, you’re bashing an entire group of people. Spouting about how “cutting your boobs off and taking hormones won’t make you a man, it’ll make you a woman that I feel needs psychiatric treatment,” is disrespectful and shameful. You have no understanding about transgenderism and you clearly have no desire to learn. You may not be trying to be rigid, but you’re failing miserably.”f
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I am not rigid, I’m sane. “Thomas” isn’t sane. She needed psychiatric treatment. She needed to love
herself. Unfortunately, it’s too late for her. She’s past mental help. She disfigured her body and hormonally altered it.
“Thomas” will never be a man, spiritually or physically. Maybe mentally, but that’s a chemical imbalance in her brain. And she found the perfect person to perpetuate her mental illness in her wife. I’ll leave this site because I don’t want to p*ss you all off more than I already did, but hopefully I have enlighted you with reality.
Tina,
The only thing you’ve enlightened anyone with is your bigotry. You clearly don’t understand the issue which makes me wonder why you care so much. None of this truly affects you…so move on.
-Gay Cousin Teddy
So you’ve pretty much gone from saying you’re not going to publicly bash anyone, to publicly bashing both Thomas and his wife …
Congrats.
I think the people in this clip discussion know better, but the paycheck serves to motivate them towards sensationalism. Procrustean arguments that simplicity suits complexities of human culture are a fail.