Auntyji says, ‘Are beta, a tough question on a rather complicated matter, let’s explain you why?'
Sex first
Can a transgender person have sex – of course. As much as they want, with whoever they want, as long as it’s consensual. The choice of what type of sex and with who and how must rest with the person themselves. Safety, of course, will always be key.
Can they conceive? Well, that is the real question.
Physically speaking
Transmen (who have transitioned from female to male), who retained their ovaries and uterus, can have a kid of their own because they have the required anatomy. The big issue, of course, remains how to deal with your own sense of gender diversity – being pregnant, for someone who appears male, gets you attention in the public eye, usually the wrong sort. One needs to be ready for something like that. Research shows that the transmen, who bore a child, had to face a lot of stigma and differentiation once they did begin to carry.
Transwomen (who have transitioned from male to female) cannot bear a child (get pregnant) because they don’t have the required anatomy (a uterus) and the necessary hormones. Having said that, medical science is advancing fast and this may be possible in the future.
Tricky business
One thing to bear in mind betaji is that transgender people, who have had any sort of hormonal influences or surgical activity done to you – then the chances of getting pregnant get a bit slim. If anything disturbs the production of sperm or ova – then conception can me mushkil – whether you are a male, female or transgender.
Different solutions
But as Auntyji says, zindagi mein there are always more options available, such as adopting a child, and no one can really stop you from doing that. Your being transgender has nothing to do with your being a good a bad parent – let’s be sure about that. Yes, it is tough for single parents to adopt – we discussed that last time too – and being transgender and being out – may well increase your challenges. But if you have decided and you are ready, let the khushkhabri come!
This article was first published on June 8, 2018. *To protect the identity, names have been changed and the person/s in the picture is/are models.
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