Culture ‘Difference is beautiful’: pregnant trans men go for a swim – in pictures

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‘Difference is beautiful’: pregnant trans men go for a swim – in pictures​

Spoiler

Jerome, 2022​

‘It’s 2022. Not only women can get pregnant, men can get pregnant, too,’ says Jerome. ‘Visibility plays a crucial role in empowering transgender youth who may be questioning their identities. As a seahorse dad myself I can demonstrate that it is possible to embrace one’s gender identity and still fulfil the dream of becoming a parent.’

Spoiler

Alex & Jerome, Seahorse Parents, 2022​

‘I feel like far too often projects involving queer and trans people revolve around trauma,’ says Alex. ‘This project is all about celebrating and embracing our transness, our bodies, and our babies. In addition, participating in this with another pregnant transmasculine person was the most affirming experience I’ve ever had. Men can give birth’

Spoiler

Alex, 2022​

Alex: ‘Visibility and representation create a sense of community and belonging. When you don’t see yourself in the world it’s hard to feel like you belong. In terms of birthing as a transgender person, representation looks like using inclusive language and having access to safe resources. Recognising that not all birthing people are moms and using the correct descriptors’

Spoiler

Alex, 2022​

Alex: ‘I think Seahorse Parents is about showcasing the differences that exist among birthing people. It’s about acknowledging that those differences aren’t inherently bad, but, rather, beautiful. Seahorse Parents shows that all parents deserve to create families in whatever ways feel right to them’

Seahorse Parents, 2022​

The series showcases these heavily pregnant transgender parents under water, using the metaphor of the seahorse, for which the males are the baby carriers. Guttmann’s main objective for the project is to normalise and celebrate pregnant transgender people. The project seeks to challenge prevailing cultural ideas of femininity and masculinity. What is a pregnant body ‘supposed’ to look like? And what world do the parents hope to bring their children into? You can view a trailer for the project’s film here

Spoiler

Liam, 2022​

‘In the United States right now, new legislation is being introduced that makes it harder and harder for us to claim our spot at the table every day,’ says Liam. ‘It is important that we are visible and represented so that all of us know that we are here, we have always been here, and will always be here. This is how we help each other to stay strong in the wake of legislative, physical and emotional violence’

Liam, 2022​

Liam: ‘I want the viewer to see that trans and non-binary people are actually just people, and that we have the same desire to grow and love our families as cisgender people do. Seahorse Parents is about putting our stories out into the world. It shows our budding families in the most beautiful light’

Spoiler

Liam, 2022​

Liam: ‘Body parts do not define what your gender is. My body is just capable of things that cisgender men aren’t capable of. That’s all. I mean, really, that’s all it comes down to. I do not feel in any way that I’ve detransitioned or gone back to being a woman or anything like that’

Spoiler

Ruben and child, 2022​

‘I want the viewer to understand how proud we are of our bodies and how incredible it is that we can carry our children by ourselves,’ says Ruben. ‘I hope that Seahorse Parents can contribute to viewers broadening their horizons and loosen up their perspectives’

Spoiler

Ruben, 2022​

Ruben: ‘Visibility and representation are important to feel safe and recognised. When you’re pregnant, you carry a child for which you feel pride and protection, but as a visibly pregnant, transgender man, you’re not always safe.’ Seahorse Parents is part of Queer & Pride Amsterdam 2023. For more information about pregnant transgender persons and organisations that support them visit the Seahorse Parents website

 

[GenociderSyo]

This exhibit is in Amsterdam so most of the articles on it are not in English. One image from the exhibit is not included here though it is in the articles because it involved a nude child. This means that there is a current museum exhibit with a giant image of a nude child (most of these are on huge tapestries) and no one is questioning this. Every article is using this image to advertise the exhibit.

Exhibit (Translation)

Website

Exhibit Trailer:

Full Exhibit Article
Full Exhibit Archive

‘Difference is beautiful’: pregnant trans men go for a swim – in pictures​

‘This is about celebrating our transness’

Seahorse Parents is a photography and film project in which four soon-to-be parents share their personal stories of what carrying future children as transgender men has been like


Jerome, 2022

‘It’s 2022. Not only women can get pregnant, men can get pregnant, too,’ says Jerome. ‘Visibility plays a crucial role in empowering transgender youth who may be questioning their identities. As a seahorse dad myself I can demonstrate that it is possible to embrace one’s gender identity and still fulfil the dream of becoming a parent.’ Seahorse Parents is at Foam, Amsterdam, until 27 September.


Alex & Jerome, Seahorse Parents, 2022

‘I feel like far too often projects involving queer and trans people revolve around trauma,’ says Alex. ‘This project is all about celebrating and embracing our transness, our bodies, and our babies. In addition, participating in this with another pregnant transmasculine person was the most affirming experience I’ve ever had. Men can give birth’


Alex, 2022

Alex: ‘Visibility and representation create a sense of community and belonging. When you don’t see yourself in the world it’s hard to feel like you belong. In terms of birthing as a transgender person, representation looks like using inclusive language and having access to safe resources. Recognising that not all birthing people are moms and using the correct descriptors’


Alex, 2022

Alex: ‘I think Seahorse Parents is about showcasing the differences that exist among birthing people. It’s about acknowledging that those differences aren’t inherently bad, but, rather, beautiful. Seahorse Parents shows that all parents deserve to create families in whatever ways feel right to them’


Seahorse Parents, 2022

The series showcases these heavily pregnant transgender parents under water, using the metaphor of the seahorse, for which the males are the baby carriers. Guttmann’s main objective for the project is to normalise and celebrate pregnant transgender people. The project seeks to challenge prevailing cultural ideas of femininity and masculinity. What is a pregnant body ‘supposed’ to look like? And what world do the parents hope to bring their children into?


Liam, 2022

'In the United States right now, new legislation is being introduced that makes it harder and harder for us to claim our spot at the table every day,’ says Liam. ‘It is important that we are visible and represented so that all of us know that we are here, we have always been here, and will always be here. This is how we help each other to stay strong in the wake of legislative, physical and emotional violence’


Liam, 2022

Liam: ‘I want the viewer to see that trans and non-binary people are actually just people, and that we have the same desire to grow and love our families as cisgender people do. Seahorse Parents is about putting our stories out into the world. It shows our budding families in the most beautiful light’


Liam, 2022

Liam: ‘Body parts do not define what your gender is. My body is just capable of things that cisgender men aren’t capable of. That’s all. I mean, really, that’s all it comes down to. I do not feel in any way that I’ve detransitioned or gone back to being a woman or anything like that’

<Not Including image child is nude>
Ruben and child, 2022

‘I want the viewer to understand how proud we are of our bodies and how incredible it is that we can carry our children by ourselves,’ says Ruben. ‘I hope that Seahorse Parents can contribute to viewers broadening their horizons and loosen up their perspectives’


Ruben, 2022

Ruben: ‘Visibility and representation are important to feel safe and recognised. When you’re pregnant, you carry a child for which you feel pride and protection, but as a visibly pregnant, transgender man, you’re not always safe.’ Seahorse Parents is part of Queer & Pride Amsterdam 2023. For more information about pregnant transgender persons and organisations that support them visit the Seahorse Parents website

Article About Project in Dutch
Archive

Spoiler: Translation

Ruben carried his own child: 'Proud with my pregnant belly across the street'​

Ruben (26) had a desire to have children from an early age. And not just a child wish in which he wanted children himself, but he also wanted to bear them himself. He shows the experience of being pregnant and a man in the new documentary 'Seahorse Parents'. "Parenting isn't necessarily male or female."

When Ruben was 18, he realized he was born in the wrong body. Before Ruben would make the full transition, he first wanted to get pregnant. At the age of 19 it was time. A few years later, he became pregnant again, but this time after he had already transitioned.

"My first pregnancy was especially difficult mentally. Your body changes, your breasts grow. While I did not recognize myself in those physical aspects." But that didn't stop him from showing himself in public in both his first and second pregnancies. "I walked open and proud on the street with my belly.

According to Ruben, the physical aspects also make it difficult for people to see a pregnancy in a man. Several transgender men can be seen in the documentary.

'Awareness about gender'​

Miriam Guttmann wants to normalize and celebrate the image of pregnant transgender people with the documentary. "Projects around being trans and queer are often about pain and trauma, I just wanted to show a positive and connecting story. A story that is about the universal values we share as human beings, such as the desire to have children."

Miriam believes that people should be aware of their existing images of gender. "We have all received certain ideas from society and the media. But I want to invite everyone to broaden the horizon."

Miriam went looking for examples of pregnant trans men who were open to sharing their experience in her documentary. One of the men was Ruben. He had a child when he hadn't fully transitioned yet, but already knew he wanted to. The other participants Liam, Alex and Jerome had their children when they had been male for quite some time.

Expected negative reactions​

For Ruben, the reactions to his pregnancy from those around him were mainly positive. Even when he was already in transition while pregnant with his second child.

What was negative were the online reactions he received when he participated in another documentary. "On the one hand, I found it difficult to read those reactions because you still pull it to you. On the other hand, I could also close myself off because I had consciously chosen to get pregnant. Then you know what kind of reactions you can expect as a trans man."

The name of the documentary - Seahorse Parents - stands for a broader story. "It's a metaphor," explains Miriam. When she delved into the subject, she found out that many pregnant transgender people use seahorses as a nickname.

Seahorses are the only species on earth where the male is pregnant. For that reason, the participants of the documentary have also been photographed under water portraying a seahorse.

For Ruben, seahorses also symbolize something bigger. "That I may carry that pregnancy, that I may be there. Not only me, but also so many others with me."

Little understanding​

Ruben explains that he sometimes talks to people who have little understanding for pregnant trans men. He especially wants to show that not only women can become pregnant. "Parenting is not necessarily male or female. If I explain to them that men who have a uterus can also give birth to a child, I see that they gain more respect for it. It may still not be a choice they would make themselves , but as long as there is more understanding."

Miriam agrees. With her documentary, she hopes to achieve more connection between different worlds. "I hope people look at it with an open mind. That they see that everyone has the right to build a family. In whatever form."

As part of Queer & Pride Amsterdam 2023, the museum presents Foam Seahorse Parents , a project that aims to celebrate the image of pregnant transgender people. The documentary and series of photos can be seen there until 27 September 2023.

 

[The Lizard Queen]

Pictures of naked ugly women are still not empowering. They've been trying this for years.

 

[m1ddl3m4rch]

It's just cosmetic surgery. That's all it is or can ever be.

 

[Neo-Nazi Rich Evans]

pooners are funny until they get pregnant, then it is just tragic.

 

[Justa Grata Honoria]

I am sorry for those kids are going to be born to mentally unstable mom who instead of getting therapy she got her tits cut off and pumped full with testosterone .
I am sorry little fellas we as a society instead putting your mum in mental institution and taking you away we let her keep you and abuse you.

 

[HarblMcDavid]

Technically this is a repost, but I'm a bit surprised this made it into more than one article. Nobody wants to see pregnant pooners in a scummy looking kelp-field.

 

[Inside your walls]

Nothing is more masculine and manly than taking literally what's just over glorified baby shower pictures, my doods

 

[Neo-Nazi Rich Evans]

I am sorry for those kids are going to be born to mentally unstable mom who instead of getting therapy she got her tits cut off and pumped full with testosterone .
I am sorry little fellas we as a society instead putting your mum in mental institution and taking you away we let her keep you and abuse you.

yeah an insane pooner isnt going to make the most stable mother. kids need stable, mature, and reasonable mothers if they are to grow up as well adjusted and functional adults. these kids stand no chance of that.

im also wondering about birth defects and the like if these pooners are taking T during the pregnancy. im no doctor, but that cant be good for a fetus.

Nothing is more masculine and manly than taking literally what's just over glorified baby shower pictures, my doods

yeah that is one of the funny things about pooners. they claim to be men, but everything they do is also so feminine. they never can seem to actually act like men.

 

[ZazietheBeast]

Women are gonna attentionwhore no matter how mutilated they get. Its biological need at this point. Which is sad and horrifying. The former being a function to get a mate, the latter as displayed by this article, can be manipulated into this literal freakshow.

 

[GenociderSyo]

im also wondering about birth defects and the like if these pooners are taking T during the pregnancy. im no doctor, but that cant be good for a fetus.

it can cause the bladder and vagina to fuse into one useless organ

Technically this is a repost, but I'm a bit surprised this made it into more than one article. Nobody wants to see pregnant pooners in a scummy looking kelp-field.

damn usually i catch that

 

[Battlefield2142EU]

America, Canada, UK and European Union not worth saving.

 

[Moja Zemlja]

I genuinely thought the first one was just an obese pooner, the reality is somehow worse.

 

[AnsemSoD1]

Total. Bacha. Bazi.

 

[RACISM]

I am sorry for those kids are going to be born to mentally unstable mom who instead of getting therapy she got her tits cut off and pumped full with testosterone .
I am sorry little fellas we as a society instead putting your mum in mental institution and taking you away we let her keep you and abuse you.

pooners are funny until they get pregnant, then it is just tragic.

No, you don't understand. The testosterone soaked wombs of these pooners are going to give birth to a race of uberchads. Seven foot tall, as immovable as a tree, and all with an innate love for National Socialism.

 

[Neo-Nazi Rich Evans]

No, you don't understand. The testosterone soaked wombs of these pooners are going to give birth to a race of uberchads. Seven foot tall, as immovable as a tree, and all with an innate love for National Socialism.

maybe one of the medical-kiwis can correct me, but i was under the impression that high levels of testosterone in the womb can lead to autism. so rather than giga chads i think these pooners are going to give birth to the next chris chan.

 

[Golden Face]

maybe one of the medical-kiwis can correct me, but i was under the impression that high levels of testosterone in the womb can lead to autism. so rather than giga chads i think these pooners are going to give birth to the next chris chan.

do you think the pooners mated with ancient grandpas like robert?

old man semen + mentally unstable testosterone addled woman = nightmares beyond our comprehension

 

[GenociderSyo]

Now that i'm not on mobile here is the article about the deformities testosterone during pregnancy causes.

 

[Oilspill Battery]

Wasn't this article posted already? I swear I've seen it before.

 

[GenociderSyo]

Wasn't this article posted already? I swear I've seen it before.

One of the articles was it did not come up when i went to post for some reason in similar articles.

 

[Neighborhood Curmudgeon]

Beautiful is not the right word for these abominations. These self-hating women think growing beards and chopping off their tits makes them men, but no matter what they do they will never be real men. Even the most pathetic nerdy incel guy is more of a real man than them. It's too bad I have to say that, but it's true.

They are, and always will be, women. The fact that they keep their female reproductive organs and get pregnant is a maybe unintentional ironic self-own.