Transgender Man Gives Birth To A Baby By Transgender Woman
They might just be the most modern couple in the world.
Facebook The cast of Modern Family ain’t got nothing on this couple who made history with the birth of their first child in 2016.
Born a woman, Fernando Machado and his partner, Diane Rodriguez, born a man, welcomed their first baby into the world. Yes, a transgender couple has had a baby.
Living in Ecuador, they became the first transgender couple to become pregnant in all of South America.
Machado spoke to BBC after giving birth and told them, “We are the same as other families. Even though we might not have the same rights, we're the same.”
Rodriguez, who was born a male, talked about how she never thought she would become a mother.
“Being a mother was never something I thought I would do because I am a transgender” she said. “The law before demanded that to be recognized as a woman you had to be castrated.”
The new mother has been through a lot over the years, like being thrown out by her parents for being transgender, getting abducted several times, and being the first transgender person to run for congress in her country. She's also the first transgender woman to be elected to Ecuador's National Assembly.
In a 2017 interview, Rodriguez said, “The rights of trans people are among the least protected from all the groups in the LGBTQIA+ community. What interests us mainly is that we don’t get killed on the streets. That is our main fight. Trans people are still walking targets. Power cannot be found in political spaces. That type of power is ephemeral. Real power can be found in the people, their communities, and their organizations.”
The couple has shared photos of their pregnancy journey online with fans and lets everyone know that the child was conceived naturally.
When speaking to the media, Rodriguez commented, “This was the wish of both of us and there was nothing biological or legal to stop us, so we decided to do it. We live as man and woman. I'm a transfeminine woman and Fernando is a transmasculine man. The process to get here was complex for each of us. Knowing it's our right, we decided to add another member to our family."
When speaking of the moment he found out he was pregnant, Machado revealed, “I started crying with happiness, fear, and dread, all at once. It was the most beautiful moment. I had never felt like that before. Wow, at last, I am completely happy.”
About a year after the couple gave birth to their son, they revealed that they had been sent hateful messages and even received death threats. Rodriguez said they had filed a complaint with the police about it.
She said, “In general, the reaction of both my family and people, in general, has been positive.
Transphobic and homophobic people have also become present, even threatening to kill our son. We have already spoken with the authorities here in Ecuador to protect us. We have asked for support also to give guaranteed safety in our house. We know that the people who want to attack us are few, but we have to take the necessary assurances."
Rodriguez revealed that her family didn't accept her choice to transition at first, but after Machado got pregnant, both of their families have been accepting of them.
They are even in talks of growing their family in the next few years and are as happy as can be about what their futures may hold. They'd like to adopt a child since they haven't been able to become naturally pregnant again.
Rodriguez said, “We always believed that our way of having children was adoption, we never believed we could have our own children. We know that as a LGBTQIA+ transgender family we can give all the love and love that their parents could not. So yes, we not only think about having more children but adopting them.”
Shannon Ullman is a writer who focuses on women’s health, lifestyle, and relationships.
Editor's Note: This article was originally posted on March 6, 2017.