Two British men have become the first in the UK to give birth after choosing to have children before finalising their gender transitions.
Hayden Cross and Scott Parker (who aren't in a relationship) were both born women, but postponed their gender reassignment surgeries, resulting in Parker giving birth to his daughter Sara, who was conceived with a friend last August, reports the Telegraph.
Last month, 21-year-old Hayden delivered his daughter Trinity-Leigh via Caesarian section, following a sperm donation on Facebook and artificial insemination.
The pair now plan to return to their gender reassignment sugeries, as planned, as soon as possible.
Cross has been living legally as a man for more than three years and asked the NHS to freeze his eggs before completing his transition, with the hope he might be able to have children later in life. However, the heath service refused.
He told the Sun newspaper: 'I faced the prospect of not becoming the man I'm supposed to be, physically, or a dad.'
Explaining how he found a sperm donor on Facebook and impregnated himself via insemination, he says he fell pregnant two weeks later.
'I was happy but I also knew it would be backtracking on my transition.
'It's a very female thing to carry a baby and it goes against everything I feel in my body,' he added.
Meanwhile, Mr Parker has been living as a man for two years and put his transition on hold to have his child, and is now planning to continue with his transition and have his breasts removed next year.
In an interview with the Mail on Sunday, Mr Parker said: 'It is wonderful that attitudes are changing and people like me can celebrate being a parent. I am overjoyed for Hayden Cross too.'
Parker added he has asked to be registered as the 'father' on Sara's birth certificate but was told by officials that he must be listed as Sara's mother.
Discussing how he will explain his daughter's birth to her when she is older, the 23-year-old said: 'I'll tell her that I was born exactly the same way you are now but I'm a boy. I'm a girl who grew up to be a big boy.
'I want society to understand this a bit better so that when she grows up it's more normal to say, "Yes, my dad had me",' he added.
Congratulations to Hayden and Scott.
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
