Thomas Beatie caused quite a stir when he penned his Advocate admission: he’s a trans man with child. Yesterday’s Oprah appearance, however, will only amplify the national spotlight. And, of course, bring out haters like Joe Scarborough and, by the looks of this message board, Oprah’s viewers.
Most of the commenters agree that Beatie belonged on more low-brow shows, like Jerry Springer or Maury Povich. One fan was so incensed that she pledged not even to watch the episode in question: “I have a DVR and I get to watch the Oprah show once I’m home. I was very unhappy to see the upcoming show of the pregnant guy. I will be erasing it as soon as I get home.” That’s productive.
More cynical viewers question Beatie’s motives, like “karla1781,”
Obviously this infant’s parents are seeking fame and a book deal. If they really wanted to be good parents, they would never subject their child to such intense public scrutiny or potential ridicule. How selfish. Oprah, what’s your point in airing this show and “marketing” it in such a sensational way? Who, exactly, do you feel you will be helping with this show??
Other opponents take aim at the “liberal media,” which is apparently feeding into the Beatie “freak show:”
But the media are eating this up because it’s a freak show. This pregnant woman looks and behaves like a man, and a story like that is just too good to pass up. As our research intern puts it, Thomas is not so much a freak of nature, but a freak of culture–a freak of culture that happens to mesh perfectly with the media’s prevailing liberal ideology.
…
Radical leftists use culture-freak stories like these to further their vision of a gender-neutral society.
Beatie must have expected this backlash, so one does have to wonder what motivated the startling decision to go public. We imagine there’s probably a bit of self-interest involved, but it would take far more than greed to put yourself – and unborn child – on the line. Of course, conservative journalist Jessica Cantelon could be correct, it’s just a small part in a vast left-wing conspiracy.
We had hoped Oprah’s loyal viewers would fall in line with their beloved viewers, but it’s apparent even the Big O can’t counter our nation’s short-sighted sexual understanding.
Here’s some more video of Beatie explaining his background and gender-bedning evolution:
Paul Raposo
You’ll notice that most of the neg comments come from first time posters who signed up only to bitch about the episode. Just how many of them are “loyal” viewers? How many only left comments after hearing about the show from some anti-trans mouthpiece? From one poster:
“This morning on the CBN program there was a Story about a Human Cow embrio study. What’s next?”
CBN–The Christian Broadcasting Network–The 700 Club. Natch.
hisurfer
Just read the first dozen posts on Oprah, and I don’t see the hate. I see more hate on here, actually. The majority of the comments were along the lines of 1) This person is transgendered, not male (to me, fair enough); 2) This is more Jerry Springer than Oprah; and 3) This hooplah all seems designed to sell their book.
I just read some more, and it looks like the bible folk came out. Ugh. At least we don’t have them here.
Tim
Wow, my comments were deleted from here. Interesting. The facts remain, this is a woman with a beard having a baby. This is not a man. Men cannot in nature give birth. Just a simple scientific fact.
Tim
I take that back, my comments were not deleted. Sorry.
Rick
trans man my patootie. this is a woman with breast removal. these are two lesbians and one happens to look kind of like a man. this woman has a functioning uterus and ovaries, that makes her a non man.
eric
i suggest cruising over to my blog and contacitng oprah to thank her and sending a message to scarborough that his hate is unwelcome.
http://www.queersunited.blogspot.com
Ryan
I wish this jerk hadn’t gone public. Now other trans men are facing hate because of it. Like if this guy does a female thing we must all be women too. What a selfish ass.
Anna
I go to a Catholic school in Canada, and we talked about him it in sociology today. Everyone in the class-the majority who are Catholic- and the teacher all agreed that he was completely within his rights to have a child and that the people who hated him were wrong.
Erin
Tim/Rick/Ryan.
So if a transwoman gets her wife pregnant, all the sudden they are a guy again? feh.
I think he’s brave, though perhaps a bit foolhardy. Of course I’m just a tranny, what do I know.
Phoenix
Beatie is transgendered FTM. From what I’ve been told it is better for FTM persons not to have the surgery to create a fake penis since it doesn’t actually work. It is purely cosmetic. I believe that Beatie, like other FTM persons, took hormones which enlarge the clit so that it functions like a real penis (I mean he can use it to have sex with Nancy), which is better than the other kind of surgically created penis that has no real use.
Medical science is not as advanced for FTM gender reassignment as it is for MTF, which leaves many in the same place Thomas Beatie is. Between female and male.
If Thomas Beatie says that he is a FTM transgendered person and not a very butch lesbian, then I guess he would know.
Melanie
This is sick! I feel sorry for that baby and Oprah is an idiot. Have fun deleting my comment!
Hamid Amirsemsari
lol i dont like !! lol
candi
I do not hate this person however I absolutely do Not agree with his choice of sex change. I am a christian and this is certainly an abomination of God. His decision to have child is also wrong. This child will have to suffer for his mother’s selfish decision. He will be verbally and possibly phisically abused by children/people who do not understand that this was not his/her choice to be concieved in this situation.
Diana
Folks need to get a life. I say live and let live. But what I don’t understand … is why are folks talking about their genitals .. no matter what kind they got in their pants? Jess ain’t polite. Politics, religion, and genitals. Better left alone.
SaintCahier
Though I hate Derrida and his PoMo-babble, I can’t help but find his idea on how undecidables fill people with fear and disgust most enlightening in this case…