Bennett Kaspar-Williams, a transgender man who began his transition in 2014 and previously underwent top surgery, has asked for compassion and awareness surrounding misgendering of individuals by medical staff.
Bennett, who uses he/they pronouns, gave birth to a healthy baby boy via caesarean section in October last year with his husband, Malik.
According to the 37-year-old, the process of trying to conceive, being successful, and becoming pregnant was not challenging to his gender identity.
However, he was troubled by nurses who constantly misgendered him, calling him a 'mom'.
Despite his full beard, flat chest and the male gender marker on his paperwork, people could not help but default to calling him mom, mother or ma'am, he says.
This dad says that no one can ever really know whether having children is possible until they try. Being born with a uterus doesn't guarantee conception or carrying a baby to full term, he says.
Hence, it's important to stop defining womanhood in terms of 'motherhood' because it's a false equivalency, says this dad.
"Not all women can be mothers."
He further explained that not all mothers carry their children or that all people who carry children are mothers.
Bennett wants all medical workers to know that not everyone who gives birth is a 'mother'.
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