Personally, I wouldn't want to give birth. But I have to admit, my hardest dysphoria comes from not being capable of fathering my own child.
I don't just want a child that's mine. I want a child that's mine and my partner's. I want to be able to see my wife pregnant and know that that's her and me in there. It's something I've actually cried against my girlfriend's chest because of...
I don't even know whether or not I definitely want a child one day, but I just wish I were able to father a child.

I was reading about how same sex reproduction could be possible by removing the DNA from a donor egg or sperm and replacing it with one of the would be parents's DNA. There's some limits, like lesbian/ftm couples would only be able to have daughters, and male/mtf couples might produce a YY embryo, which wouldn't live. Kinda interesting, but weird.

I had heard about a study done on lab mice where they used a certain drug to completely change female mice to males. It's gene therapy, rather than hormone therapy. But as far as human studies, they're only trying to develop it to work on XY intersex men... It kind of felt like a harsh blow when I read that the researchers said specifically they had no interest in broadening their research to include ftm transsexuals....

But what you mentioned would be interesting... Do you know how far they've gone with this in research?

Nope, it doesn't seem like anything that's going to happen in the immediate future. Conservative groups would be all over that.

I'm pro-cloning, so I'm definitely for this cloning cousin.

Quote from: TheAwesomePrussia on August 29, 2011, 05:52:44 PM
Personally, I wouldn't want to give birth. But I have to admit, my hardest dysphoria comes from not being capable of fathering my own child.
I don't just want a child that's mine. I want a child that's mine and my partner's. I want to be able to see my wife pregnant and know that that's her and me in there.

i feel exactly this way. me an my wife are going to have kids... but they'll only biologically be hers.

My girlfriend says if we decide to be parents, she'd want to adopt. One thing she's very adamant about is that she thinks a child should be proud of being adopted. She gets really angry with kids who get upset when they're told they were adopted. She told one girl, "You were wanted! How is that a bad thing?!"
She's been reminded all her life that she was an "accident", I know it's something that bothers her. So I think I'd like to adopt a child with her if we decided to have kids. Seeing it the way she does, I feel like my getting so depressed over not being able to have a biological child is kind of silly... >n>

I have no problem with adoption since I can't have kids on my own any way (and the whole pregnancy phobia I mentioned earlier!) There are plenty of kids already born and those to be born that can use better, loving families. The only problem with adoption, at least here in the U.S. is all the hoops they put you through. I mean, I understand why they do, but between that and the costs it makes it prohibitive for many people who would make great parents.

About a week ago, two of my friends were talking about a local adoption agency especially for LGBT kids/parents. I missed the details--in fact, I'm not even sure whether it was a real agency, a proposed agency, or wishful thinking on the part of my friends. But later we were talking about how cool it would be for unwanted queer kids to be able to be adopted by queer parents.

It just blows my mind that people could throw their own child out of the house just because the kid is gay or trans. People can tell me the reasons, but I will never quite get it.

Quote from: Arch on August 30, 2011, 01:03:30 AM
About a week ago, two of my friends were talking about a local adoption agency especially for LGBT kids/parents. I missed the details--in fact, I'm not even sure that it was a real agency, a proposed agency, or wishful thinking on the part of my friends. But later we were talking about how cool it would be for unwanted queer kids to be able to be adopted by queer parents.

It just blows my mind that people could throw their own child out of the house just because the kid is gay or trans. People can tell me the reasons, but I will never quite get it.

The agency we looked at in Eugene, OR accepts LGBT couples who want to adopt and they have pretty good placement. They also place older children (even though of course everyone wants babies). You just have to have about $20k and go through all these hoops ... which like I said is kinda cost prohibitive.

Quote from: insideontheoutside on August 30, 2011, 01:06:10 AM
The agency we looked at in Eugene, OR accepts LGBT couples who want to adopt and they have pretty good placement. They also place older children (even though of course everyone wants babies). You just have to have about $20k and go through all these hoops ... which like I said is kinda cost prohibitive.

I was born in Portland and I was adopted. I hear the process went smoothly and was easy after they ha all the paperwork sorted out.

I'm definitely pro adoption!

Quote from: insideontheoutside on August 30, 2011, 01:06:10 AM
The agency we looked at in Eugene, OR accepts LGBT couples who want to adopt and they have pretty good placement. They also place older children (even though of course everyone wants babies). You just have to have about $20k and go through all these hoops ... which like I said is kinda cost prohibitive.

There are numerous agencies that will help LGBT parents, but this one specifically matches LGBT kids with LGBT parents. That's why I'm wondering if my friends were just speculating about the perfect adoption agency instead of talking about a real agency. I wasn't paying full attention, I'm afraid.

Quote from: insideontheoutside on August 30, 2011, 01:06:10 AM
The agency we looked at in Eugene, OR accepts LGBT couples who want to adopt and they have pretty good placement. They also place older children (even though of course everyone wants babies). You just have to have about $20k and go through all these hoops ... which like I said is kinda cost prohibitive.

I would really like to adopt from Russia. I plan to live in Germany, but I'm still trying to figure out whether or not my pre-transition history would have to emigrate with me... I would think that if my U.S. Birth Certificate and important documents all say 'male' (which they should by then), then I wouldn't be subject to the legal requirement of bottom SRS for a male legal identification marker in Germany. Bottom surgery is just something I don't think I'll be able to afford until I get a job over there.

Edit: Reason being that Russia doesn't allow LGBT adoption yet...

About Germany: you no longer need to have bottom surgery, nor any kind of surgery,  to get your gender marker changed. If it's been changed already and you have male on your documents, you'll be fine anyways.
You cannot adopt in Germany as an LGBT couple - one partner can adopt the child and the other can then have a step child adoption later.

I am not against it, but I would never get pregnant myself. If other guys want to, then they should! Everybody should be entitled to do what they want (within reason, of course.....) But I could never deal with being pregnant. I want children someday, but I want to adopt.

However, I am concerned that because some of the only ftms that are really in the news were  "Pregnant Men," which I think could possibly make people think of trans men as nothing more but women. And that is a false opinion which could damage the guys' self esteem.

But overall, it's not for me to judge....

Hi Emil,
to my knowing THAT (no more bottom surgery) always and ONLY applied for FtMs.

It is considered to be too "much in asking" by the State for a FtM to have bottom surgery (Phalopasty or Metoidioplasty)

For MtF the bottom surgery SRS is still a requirement, unless that has changed most recently.

I'd love to know if that actually HAS changed!

Lastly it needs to be proved (by 2 doctors letters) that for both (MtF, FTM) we are sterile i.e. hysterectomised and SRS for MtF.

If you have noticeable breasts (FtM) it means to got to do something there too (breast reduction) as you just would not pass otherwise --- right?

Just my 2 cents :-)
Axelle

Hi Axelle, it actually has changed, about half a year ago. No surgery whatsoever is required anymore to get your gender marker changed in Germany (nor HRT or sterilization). That paragraph was dropped after a decision by the highest German court. The requirements for the gender change and the name change are now virtually identical - two therapists need to write a report stating that the person is trans (they usually do so after one 1-4 hour appointment).

Quote from: emil on August 31, 2011, 03:35:29 PM
About Germany: you no longer need to have bottom surgery, nor any kind of surgery,  to get your gender marker changed. If it's been changed already and you have male on your documents, you'll be fine anyways.
You cannot adopt in Germany as an LGBT couple - one partner can adopt the child and the other can then have a step child adoption later.

I would hope that, if nothing else, when adopting from Russia we should be able to adopt as a straight couple, without being classified as LGBT. If I live as male, look male, sound male, and have a male marker on all my legal documents (including U.S. Birth Certificate, since Iowa gives you a completely new BC), and I'm married to a woman, I wouldn't think they'd require me to drop my pants just to prove that I'm male. :/

Quote from: emil on September 01, 2011, 03:55:05 PM
Hi Axelle, it actually has changed, about half a year ago. No surgery whatsoever is required anymore to get your gender marker changed in Germany (nor HRT or sterilization). That paragraph was dropped after a decision by the highest German court. The requirements for the gender change and the name change are now virtually identical - two therapists need to write a report stating that the person is trans (they usually do so after one 1-4 hour appointment).

Yippie!
Thanks dude, that might be light at the end of my TS tunnel.
Though I'll have to go to the German Embassy in SA to figure out what exactly I have to do.
I'll do it after SRS, thinking it may just help.

Thanks again,
Axelle

you're very welcome, glad I was of help!