I am becoming increasingly convinced that Thomas Beattie
(better known as the “pregnant man”)
is a bit of a publicity whore. This isn’t necessarily a problem, so long as the
publicity he seeks does more good than harm for the transgender community—and
for his daughter, born on June 29.
In the latest Beattie media frenzy, September Films, a London firm, has beat out
four other production companies in winning the rights to make a documentary
telling Beattie’s story.
The hourlong film will air on Channel 4, with rights to the film licensed
globally. The Discovery Channel is currently seeking exclusive U.S.
rights.
With his Oprah appearance, his memoir-in-progress (including
tales of participating in beauty pageants in his youth), and now this film,
Beattie seems keen on maintaining a large spot in the limelight. This is certainly not unusual in these days of reality TV and "It Happened to Me" bestsellers, but it becomes a bit more complicated when there is a child involved. I just hope
the widespread publicity of Beattie’s unusual situation helps establish more
tolerance for transgender folks and their children,
not more hatred.
Photo: livenews.com