WOMAN GIVES BIRTH AND WANTS TO BE CALLED A MAN

Fights For Right To Be Called Baby’s Father: Report

Sara GatesThe Huffington PostSep 10, 2013

A transgender man gave birth in Germany earlier this year, according to local media.

Though the Berlin man welcomed his child to the world in March, news of the remarkable birth did not make headlines in German media until this week. Now, the new parent is in court petitioning for the right to be called the baby’s father, Germany’s The Local reports.

The unnamed parent, who has undergone several hormone treatments but still has female reproductive organs, used a sperm donor to become pregnant. He gave birth at his home with the help of a midwife and waited several weeks to inform authorities.

As Spiegel Online notes, it was on April 11 that Berlin’s civil registry office informed the borough of Neukölln’s youth and health department of the atypical birth. The transgender man had registered the birth, filing for a birth certificate with his name as the father. He purposefully did not include the name of the mother.

It appears the issue hinges on the mother-father distinction. The transgender man gave birth, making him the mother; however, he is classified as a male by law and wants to be known as the baby’s father. (In 2011, Germany dropped the the restriction that required transgender people to undergo gender reassignment surgery in order to align themselves to the gender with which they identify.)

While a source at the Berlin Senate Administration for Internal Affairs told The Daily Mail that the father’s request was honored, the matter is reportedly still being addressed in court.

Germany may have taken a step forward in August by opting to include a “third gender” option on its birth certificates, making it the first European country to do so; but it seems there’s still room for improvement when it comes transgender issues overall.