Spanish man to give birth to twins
Last summer, the buzz was all about Thomas Beatie, “the pregnant man,” and his daughter Susan. Well, Beaties, step aside, now there’s something even better. A Spanish transsexual man claims he is 6-weeks pregnant with twins.
25-year old Ruben Noe Coronado Jimenez and his partner, 43-year old Esperanza Ruiz, happily announced the news to the world this week in the popular magazine Pronto. They plan to marry before the babies are born in September, and raise the children–both boys–together in Barcelona, Spain.
In every sense of the word, Coronado is still a woman. Once known as Estefania, Coronado had been undergoing the physical transformation of becoming a man. Photos of Coronado show a balding, bearded man. But Spanish law, as of last year, allows citizens to change their gender status without actually having sex change surgery (if the person is undergoing other kinds of gender-reassignment treatment, like hormones). The proud “mama” says she only retained her legal female status in order to undergo fertility treatment. Coronado took hormone treatment that would restart her periods, and then did in vitro fertilization. She plans to begin the administrative process that will legally transform her into a man this month. So, when she gives birth via cesarean section, she will actually be “he.”
Even though the pregnant soon-to-be-man announced the pregnancy via tabloid press, Coronado insists, “to protect my children I’m not going to sell my story now or in the future.” But she talked to the press in order that the world can start to see transsexual pregnancies as “normal.” But belly bumps are a different thing entirely. And since someone else will do it if she doesn’t, she may just sell a snapshot or two of “his” pregnant belly when the time comes. Can’t wait to see that one.
The obvious question in this case is, “Why didn’t Ruiz–the partner that intends to remain female–undergo the fertility treatment and carry the babies?”. And, as in the case with Thomas Beatie, there is a simple answer: the other partner couldn’t. Ruiz actually has two children from a previous relationship. But the aging mom was told by her doctor that she could not become pregnant again. So Coronado decided she would do it, even though she plans to become a man. And even though Spanish law doesn’t require it, Coronado does intend to complete the surgical sex job she interrupted. In a strange simile, Coronado compared her quasi-transgender status to having three hands. “You take advantage of them while you have them and you get rid of one of them when they get in the way.” Of course. When your uterus gets in the way, you just get rid of it.
So, are you buying it? Is transsexual pregnancy normal? And will Coronado be able to protect his children from the media?
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