How It Began
Thomas was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, as a girl named Tracy Lagondino. But, he discovered at a very young age that he never felt very girly, to begin with. As he grew older, he refused to wear dresses, a decision that took his parents by surprise.
Transgender people usually discover their gender dysphoria at a very young age. By the age of ten, Thomas already identified as male. This was difficult in his family, however, as Thomas' father refused to accept him for who he was, and forced him to do typical girly stuff.
Gender Dysphoria
Gender Dysphoria is a condition characterized as the distress a person experiences as a result of the sex and gender they were assigned at birth. Symptoms are visible at a young age,and children experience a conflict between their gender identity and their biological gender.
The description fits perfectly with Thomas. Ever since he was little, he was uncomfortable identifying himself as a girl. Thomas was supported by his mother, but not by his father. Unfortunately, his mother passed away, and he had to live with his father, who didn't want to accept him as transgender.
Beauty Pageants
After his mother passed away, Thomas was taken care of by his father alone. He didn't like the fact that Thomas didn't want to be a girl, so he encouraged him to pursue a modeling career and signed him up to beauty pageants in the hopes that it would bring his feminine side out. He didn't like it, but was pretty good at it.
He entered the Miss Teen Hawaii USA pageant and came out as a finalist. His beauty and charisma wowed the judges and the audience, but deep inside, Thomas was uncomfortable the whole time and felt like, when he dressed like a girl, he was wearing a costume.
His True Passion
The glitz and glamour of beauty pageants and modeling weren't what Thomas wanted. Luckily, he found an escape in martial arts and weightlifting. After a few years, he got his black belt in Taekwondo, which made him feel more comfortable in his own skin. He slowly began to wear male clothing, but still lived as a woman.
While still being Tracy, he began his first serious relationship with a woman. When he was 24, he started his transition through testosterone hormone therapy. His then-girlfriend, Nancy, stood by his side and was a key player in Thomas' transition.
The Transition
Although medicine has come a long way, transitioning from one gender to another is no easy task. Testosterone therapy comes in the form of patches, pills, and injections, and has to be administered over the course of several years. This triggers many changes in the body, such as having much more hair and the deepening of the voice.
These treatments change people's bodies drastically, but after all these changes, those who were biologically born as women are reborn into the men they have always wanted to be, and this was the case of Thomas. However, there are some risks that come with this treatment.
That's Only The Beginning
The long-term use of hormone therapy may potentially cause liver damage and other undesirable effects. And, of course, it is only one part of the transition process. Many people are satisfied with this treatment, but others also undergo some type of surgery to complete their transition.
For example, gender reassignment surgery, where the genitalia is transformed into that of the opposite gender. Those who transition into a male, like Thomas, may also get their breast tissue removed, and the remaining tissue sculpted into a more masculine form, which is what Thomas got done.
A Big Decision
Following this procedure, Thomas decided not to undergo a gender reassignment surgery, as many transgender people do. In the eyes of the law, people do not need to get surgery done in order to change their gender, so he legally became a man and changed his name after the surgery.
On that day, Tracy left this world, and he was reborn as Thomas,while still retaining his female reproductive organs.Thanks to US law, he became a man in the eyes of the government and switched his identity on his passport, driver's license, and all other legal documents. He also got engaged to Nancy.
Trying for a Baby
A year after legally becoming a man, Thomas married his girlfriend Nancy in a beautiful ceremony in Hawaii. The couple wanted to have children, but the problem was that, due to a hysterectomy Nancy underwent to deal with her endometriosis, she was unable to bear children. So, the couple was faced with a tough decision.
Since Thomas still had female reproductive organs, he decided he would be the one to carry the children. To do so, however, he had to stop taking his hormonal medication. It took Thomas four months to start ovulating again, and he was ready to take the second biggest step of his life.
Searching for a Donor
The couple needed a sperm donor to inseminate Thomas. Unfortunately, because of Thomas' story, a total of nine physicians refused to help them. But they were determined to find a donor, with or without the help of a doctor, and luckily, they did. They actually found the guy online!
The insemination took place at home, and surprisingly, it worked. Not long after that, Thomas was indeed pregnant. And, as his baby bump started to grow, the couple's story became worldwide news, and it all began with an article in LGBT magazine The Advocate.
A Media Whirlwind
Back then, Thomas' story went viral and had people all over the world sharing their thoughts on the matter. He sparked a discussion in the media that never took place before, and of course, faced both positive and negative criticism. The picture of his pregnant belly, in particular, caused a media whirlwind.
Although he had to endure a lot of criticism and even death threats, a large number of people was supportive and happy that a debate about gender conventions were taking place. He was called The Pregnant Man, and he did many interviews and even appeared on Oprah.
The Birth
Despite the criticism, he and Nancy never regretted sharing their story. After all, people would have noticed a pregnant man walking around anyway, so they might as well just let the world know about it.
Their healthy baby girl was born in June 2008, and was named Susan. Sadly, Oregon didn't want to recognize Thomas as the father and Nancy as the mother, because it had been him who carried and gave birth to the child.
Success
In the law of the State of Oregon, the person who births the child is automatically listed as their mother. However, after a tough legal fight, Nancy and Thomas had their names switched on Susan's birth certificate and just shows up as "parent".
This wasn't the only difficulty the couple faced. Since Nancy is not related to Susan biologically, she had to apply for adoption of the child in order to secure her parental rights in the event of her and Thomas separating.
The Second Baby
Not long after Susan came into the world, the couple decided they wanted to enlarge their family once again. Less than a year after the first birth, Thomas got pregnant again and went through the same process as before.
Austin Alexander, a healthy baby boy, was born in the summer of 2009. The couple was overjoyed, and decided to go through the whole thing yet again! The couple had three children and wanted to have the fourth one by 2010.
The Guinness World Records
The Guinness World Records officially recognized Thomas as theWorld's First Married Man to Give Birth in 2010. That same year, the happy couple welcomed their third baby, Jensen James.
A this point, however, the couple had to care for little children, two of whom were toddlers, and one was a small baby. The relationship between Thomas and Nancy slowly began to deteriorate, and it culminated in divorce in 2012.
The Divorce
It is very common for courts to give the custody of the children to the mother when a couple gets divorced, but in the case of Nancy and Thomas, the courts weren't sure about how to proceed. Under the law of the state of Arizona, where the couple lived at that time, only women could give birth.
But if Thomas was found to be a woman in the eyes of the law, their marriage wouldn't be recognized, as Arizona didn't allow same-sex marriages at the time. And, if the state didn't recognize the marriage, then naturally they could not request a divorce.
The Custody Battle
The couple continued their legal battle and in 2013, a trial took place to determine the custody terms of the three children. Luckily for everyone involved, the court recognized their marriage and they got shared custody of the kids.
The full divorce was granted after the couple took the matter before a Court of Appeals in 2014, which declared the couple's marriage had been valid. This allowed the couple to finally move on with their lives, and then, Thomas met someone new.
A New Beginning
Thomas met Amber Nichols in 2013 and they quickly got engaged. It was their dream to have a big, spectacular wedding, and have all the kids be involved in the process.
The media continued to follow Thomas'journey as a father, and in 2016, he opened up about his and Amber's plans for their wedding. Not only that, but they also claimed they wanted to have children together.
The Big Day
Two years after his divorce was finalized, Thomas finally tied the knot with his new love, Amber. The couple got married in February 2016 and had a lavish ceremony at Boojum Tree Hidden Gardens, a glamorous venue in Phoenix, Arizona.
Although he had had a happy marriage with Nancy, Thomas never felt the way he felt for Amber. His second wedding was the happiest day of his life, and he felt that he was exactly where he was supposed to be.
A New Chapter in Their Lives
Following their wedding, the couple felt they were ready to have a baby of their own. But this time, it wasn't so easy. They tried to get pregnant with the help of the same donor, but the attempt sadly ended in a miscarriage.
But they weren't going to let this stop them from chasing their dream. The couple already had a full house, but they still wanted to add another member, and they would do anything to make it happen.
Baby No. 4
It took the couple two full years, but they were finally able to get pregnant in 2018. Their baby boy, Jackson, was born in August. However, something was different this time. It had been Amber who carried the child this time around.
But Thomas revealed that he hadn't ruled out the option of carrying a fourth child in the future. However, the situation would be completely different, because Thomas underwent gender reassignment surgery. This meant that, although he still had a uterus, the rest was male.
A Big Decision
If Thomas decides to carry a child once more, he would have to give birth through a C-section. The couple has frozen embryos, so the option is always there. They are more than busy, however, with a total of four children, plus Amber's granddaughter in the house, so maybe five is enough for now.
It was hard for him to decide to get the gender reassignment surgery, as it is an obstacle for his ability to get pregnant, but after giving birth three times, he felt ready to fully complete his transition into a man after all these years. He also started his hormone therapy again, which prevents him from ovulating.
The End
The year 2018 marked the ten-year anniversary of his first pregnancy and his consequential rise to worldwide fame. Looking back, Thomas said he has no regrets and is happy because his actions had raised awareness for other transgender people wanting their own families.
When asked about the picture of himself and his pregnant belly that went viral, he said: > "It's an image people aren't used to seeing but they will continue to see it and it's not something to hide, it's something to be proud about.