# Trystan Reese

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Trystan_Reese
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Trystan_Reese.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trystan_Reese
> Source revision: 1340583197
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

**Trystan Reese** (born 1982[1]) is a writer from the Antelope Valley of California, based in [Portland](/source/Portland,_Oregon), Oregon, best known for publicizing his experience with [pregnancy](/source/Transgender_pregnancy) as a [transgender man](/source/Trans_man).[1][2][3] He was one of a number of transgender men to receive news coverage for giving birth in the 2010s.[4]

## Background

Trystan Reese, who was [assigned female at birth](/source/Assigned_female_at_birth), began [masculinizing hormone therapy](/source/Masculinizing_hormone_therapy) in the 2000s.[5] He began working on political campaigns for [LGBTQ](/source/LGBTQ_people) political movements across the U.S., working on causes like [marriage equality](/source/Marriage_equality), [trans rights](/source/Transgender_rights_movement), and abolishing the [death penalty](/source/Death_penalty).[6]

Reese met Biff Chaplow in 2010 in Los Angeles, and after dating for a year, the pair learned that Chaplow's niece and nephew would be moved into the [foster care system](/source/Foster_care_in_the_United_States) unless Chaplow decided to care for them. They agreed to take care of the children in a possibly temporary arrangement, but filed for emergency guardianship after circumstances worsened for Chaplow's sister.[7] Reese and Chaplow married in 2013 and moved to Portland, Oregon with their niece and nephew.[3][7] After four years in court, they were able to adopt their children.[3] They began sharing their story of parenthood via appearances on a parenting podcast, The Longest Shortest Time. They hoped to cut through myths that Reese had previously internalized about the opportunities for love and family available to [trans](/source/Transgender) people.[7]

## Trans pregnancy advocacy

In Reese's 20s, he was informed, incorrectly, that he would be [infertile](/source/Infertility) after beginning hormonal therapy.[8] Later he learned that stopping [testosterone](/source/Testosterone_(medication)) would let him carry a baby within months. He and Chaplow also knew many [trans men](/source/Trans_man) who had babies.[7] They decided to have another child and met with informed medical providers to understand how to carry out the pregnancy in the safest way.[9] Reese paused his hormone therapy to become pregnant, but experienced a [miscarriage](/source/Miscarriage).[5] However, he became pregnant again, and gave birth to a son in 2017[3][5] after undergoing a "textbook pregnancy".[2]

The couple documented their pregnancy journey to dispel myths and promote acceptance.[4] They also wanted to support people questioning their identity or grappling with shame about it.[10] After their story went viral, they were subjected to continuous [transphobia](/source/Transphobia) and threatening messages online.[3][8] In person, Reese's pregnancy often went unnoticed, which he attributed to a lack of scrutiny for men's bodies that women are often subjected to. However, he mostly stayed at home in his final months of pregnancy as a precaution.[10]

Reese shifted his career to focus on trans pregnancy education and advocacy. He worked as the director of family formation at [Family Equality](/source/Family_Equality), founded the family-building resource hub Trans Fertility Co., and was the subject of *Fighting for Fertility*, a [Nova](/source/Nova_(American_TV_program)) short.[8][11] He also founded Collaborate Consulting, which focused on equity and inclusion.[3][8]

## Writing

As their kids grew older, Reese and Chaplow noticed that they attracted less blatant curiosity as [queer](/source/Queer) families became more common. Chaplow also said that he grew better at tuning out [bigotry](/source/Bigotry), putting up his "survivor blinders". They felt they learned a lot from building a nontraditional family and wanted to share those lessons with [straight](/source/Heterosexuality) people, deciding to write a book about their experiences. Eventually, the book grew into an exploration of the similarities and differences between queer and non-queer families.[6] He published his memoir in 2021, *How We Do Family. From Adoption to Trans Pregnancy, What We Learned about Love and LGBTQ Parenthood*.[3]

Reese initially hesitated to make a book due to his limited experience writing, and struggled to revisit [traumatic](/source/Psychological_trauma) experiences for the sake of the book. He was concerned about how receiving edits would feel, knowing he felt especially sensitive after his traumatic experiences with [transphobia](/source/Transphobia). However, he said the process was helpful and he was glad to be able to share lessons he'd learned from queer parenting.[8]

Elizabeth Podnieks compared *How We Do Family* to [Jennifer Finney Boylan](/source/Jennifer_Finney_Boylan)'s *Stuck in the Middle with You,* which documents her experiences with trans motherhood. Podnieks analyzes them as works that show new possibilities for family structure that disrupt [cisgendered](/source/Cisgender) traditions, normalizing queer parenthood. At the same time, the books embrace [homonormativity](/source/Homonormativity) and subvert [heteronormativity](/source/Heteronormativity).[12]

In 2022, Reese and Chaplow collaborated on a children's book detailing their family's experiences with pregnancy. It was published by [Flamingo Rampant](/source/Flamingo_Rampant).[13]

## Books

- 2021, *How We Do Family. From Adoption to Trans Pregnancy, What We Learned about Love and LGBTQ Parenthood*.[14] ISBN 978-1-61519-757-6.
- 2022, *The Light Of You.*[13] ISBN 978-1-99915-626-8.

## See also

- [Thomas Beatie](/source/Thomas_Beatie)
- [Same-sex marriage and the family](/source/Same-sex_marriage_and_the_family)
- [Male pregnancy](/source/Male_pregnancy)
- [Transgender history in the United States](/source/Transgender_history_in_the_United_States)
- [Transgender pregnancy](/source/Transgender_pregnancy)
- [Transgender rights](/source/Transgender_rights)

## References

1. ["He Became Known as the 'Pregnant Man.' Now Trystan Reese Tells His Story About Trans Pregnancy."](https://pridesource.com/article/he-became-known-as-the-pregnant-man-now-trystan-reese-tells-his-story-about-trans-pregnancy). *Pride Source*. 7 September 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2024.

1. Hanawalt, Zara (2024-05-18). ["How Trystan Reese Navigated Pregnancy as a Transgender Man"](https://www.parents.com/pregnancy/everything-pregnancy/transgender-man-gives-birth-to-healthy-baby-talks-navigating/). *Parents*. Retrieved 30 May 2024.

1. ["Why Two Dads Face Down Transphobia to Share Their Family Journey: 'It's Life-Changing for People'"](https://people.com/human-interest/trystan-reese-biff-chaplow-share-family-story/). *Peoplemag*. Retrieved 30 May 2024.

1. Hawkins, Derek (2017-08-02). ["Transgender man gives birth to baby boy. 'Love is possible,' he says. So is 'being a loving family.'"](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/08/02/transgender-man-gives-birth-to-baby-boy-love-is-possible-he-says-so-is-being-a-loving-family/). *The Washington Post*. Retrieved 25 September 2024.

1. ["Portland transgender man gives birth to baby boy"](https://abc7.com/man-gives-birth-pregnant-transgender-trystan-reese/2266042/). *ABC7 Los Angeles*. 2017-08-01. Retrieved 30 May 2024.

1. Gatz, Scott (September 5, 2021). ["Trystan Reese on how to deal with bullying while raising amazing kids"](https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2021/09/trystan-reese-deal-bullying-raising-amazing-kids-2/). *[LGBTQ Nation](/source/LGBTQ_Nation)*. Retrieved 2026-01-30.

1. Truong, Kevin (June 18, 2017). ["'Accidental Gay Parents' show there's no one path to creating family"](https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/accidental-gay-parents-show-there-s-no-one-path-creating-n773756). *[NBC News](/source/NBC_News)*. Retrieved 2026-01-30.

1. Prager, Sarah (June 7, 2021). ["New book by trans dad explores the world of queer parenting"](https://xtramagazine.com/power/queer-parenting-book-trystan-reese-202165). *[Xtra Magazine](/source/Xtra_Magazine)*. Retrieved 2026-01-30.

1. Hassan, Carma & Andone, Dakin (June 8, 2017). ["Trans man and partner expecting first child"](https://www.cnn.com/2017/06/08/health/trans-man-pregnant-trnd). *[CNN](/source/CNN)*. Retrieved 2026-01-30.

1. ["Transgender man who gave birth to baby boy addresses misconceptions"](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/transgender-man-gives-birth-uses-social-media-to-address-misconceptions/). *[CBS News](/source/CBS_News)*. August 4, 2017. Retrieved 2026-01-30.

1. ["About"](https://transfertility.co/about). *Trans Fertility Co.*. Retrieved 2026-01-30.

1. Podnieks, Elizabeth (2023), [""their mothers, and their fathers, and everyone in between": Queering Motherhood in Trans Parent Memoirs by Jennifer Finney Boylan and Trystan Reese"](https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-17211-3_3), *Narratives of Motherhood and Mothering in Fiction and Life Writing*, Wahlström Henriksson, Helena (ed.), Cham: Springer International Publishing, p. 51, [doi:10.1007/978-3-031-17211-3_3](https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-17211-3_3). ISBN 978-3-031-17211-3, retrieved 2026-01-30

1. Reese, Trystan (2022). *The Light Of You*. Flamingo Rampant. ISBN 978-1999156268.

1. Reese, Trystan (29 June 2021). [*How We Do Family: From Adoption to Trans Pregnancy, What We Learned about Love and LGBTQ Parenthood*](https://books.google.com/books?id=SI_4DwAAQBAJ). The Experiment, LLC. ISBN 978-1-61519-757-6. Retrieved 30 May 2024.

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Trystan Reese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trystan_Reese) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trystan_Reese?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.