TLC’s My Pregnant Husband Opens Dialogue About Transgender Pregnancy

Representation matters. Voices need to be heard. Keeping this need for inclusivity in mind, TLC’s July programming includes Extraordinary People that features content that looks beyond races and genders. With a message that everybody has a place in this world, the series of new shows includes World’s Smallest Woman: Meet Jyoti, Conjoined Twins: Inseparable and the much anticipated, My Pregnant Husband. TLC recently dropped a trailer for the story of two expectant dads which has been met with appalling transphobic comments.

With My Pregnant Husband, TLC introduces the viewers to two different couples looking to grow their families. But, what makes these couples extra special is the fact that it’s the dads who are carrying the babies. The concluding special for TLC’s three-part Extraordinary People follows the stories of Myles, who identifies as trans-masculine and is six weeks pregnant and Ari from the second couple, who is eight months in. “I’m masculine all the way down to my core, I just happened to have the equipment to birth a child,” says Myles, while Ari reveals how he was assigned female at birth but now identifies as transgender. In their journey, the couples face multiple hurdles such as Ari having to reveal to his neighbors that he’s transgender or Myles getting arrested while shopping as his bump is mistaken for stolen items. The trailer for My Pregnant Husband also shows the husbands face complications in their pregnancies with a doctor telling Myles that he’s at risk of losing the baby.

My Pregnant Husband thus tries to clear the misconceptions around transgender pregnancy using real-life couples. It shows how it is possible for transgender men to have a baby, and overall, asks the society to become more supportive of trans and non-binary people who want to have a family. But instead of getting themselves educated about the idea, certain viewers took to TLC’s comments section to express their displeasure at the show. “Men can’t give birth,” announced one comment with over 300 likes while another said, “Why are you’ll trying to normalize this? It’s not okay and never will be.” Many fans reverted to these transphobic statements by telling them it was okay for all families to not look the same. You can see the post below:

Courtney Reardanz from 90 Day Fiancé also jumped in to support the show and its subject by expressing, “This is fascinating. I’m excited to watch. I have so many questions.” She also replied to a harsh comment by saying that being gay, lesbian, bi, or transgender is, “NOT an illness.” The video that was posted on the network’s official Instagram page seems to have gone viral and currently has over 300,000 views and more than 2,000 comments although most of them seem to be either confused or spewing hatred.

In a world which demands a shift in the stereotypical narrative of how trans representation happens on screen, a show like My Pregnant Husband seems no less than revolutionary. The media landscape today requires transgender representation with storylines that educate viewers about them, their lives, and their struggles. Popular author J.K. Rowling was recently in the news for facing backlash over a series of controversial tweets about the transgender community. Her stance caused fans and also stars from her own Harry potter franchise to speak against her. What matters now, more than ever, is how a message love, acceptance, respect and belonging demands to be conveyed. Everyone needs to be able to live a life without judgement and shows like My Pregnant Husband are certainly doing their bit to advocate understanding of all communities.

My Pregnant Husband premieres July 23 at 10pm on TLC.

Source: TLC

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Saylee Padwal
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Saylee Padwal is a Features and News Writer for Screen Rant where she covers Reality TV. Enjoys spending her spare time binging her favorite horror films, crime docs, and exploring local coffee shops.

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