‘Spunkles’, Donors, and Fathers: Men, Trans/Masculine and Non-Binary People’s Accounts of Sperm Donors and their Relationships to Children

Across the world, growing numbers of men, trans/masculine and non-binary people are bearing children, some of whom utilise known donor sperm in order to conceive. How this diverse population understand the role of known donors, both in the lead up to conception and in terms of the lives of children conceived of their donations has, to date, received little attention. This chapter focuses on a subsample of nine individuals drawn from a larger international study of 51 men, trans/masculine or non-binary who were gestational parents. The nine participants whose narratives are examined in this chapter all used known donor sperm to conceive, and in their interviews discussed their thoughts about the role of donors in their children’s lives, exploring topics such identifying potential donors, the incorporation (or not) of donors into existing kinship narratives, and the need to create opportunities for children to negotiate their own relationships with donors in the future. The findings highlight the potentially unique social scripting needs of men, trans/masculine and non-binary people who conceive using donor sperm. The chapter concludes by providing suggestions for how this diverse group of people may be assisted in developing scripts for disclosing donor conception to their children, and for negotiating the role of donors in children’s lives in the context of legislatures where such disclosure is required

Men, Trans/Masculine and Non-Binary People’s Views About Pregnancy

Drawing on focus groups conducted with 18 young men, trans/masculine, and non-binary people across three countries, in this chapter we argue that essentialist beliefs about reproduction very much impact the experiences of this diverse group of young people. In the sections that follow we first provide an overview of the limited body of literature in this area. We then briefly describe the background to our project, before presenting the findings of our thematic analysis of the focus group data. We conclude the chapter by exploring what our findings mean for a trans reproductive justice approach

Trans Parenting

This chapter explores some of the broad contours of trans parenting, covering areas such as barriers to parenting for trans people, decision making about parenting, conception, pregnancy and birth, and parent-child relationships. Each section uses Ansara and colleague’s (Ansara, 2015; Ansara and Hegarty, 2014; Riggs, Ansara, and Treharne, 2015) cisgenderism framework to highlight key challenges faced by trans parents, although attention is also paid to the agency enacted by, and the positive parenting experiences of, trans people. Additional theoretical concepts are introduced throughout to provide additional depth to the exploration of the topic of trans parenting

Men, trans/masculine, and non-binary people negotiating conception: Normative resistance and inventive pragmatism

Background: Growing numbers of men, trans/masculine, and non-binary people are undertaking pregnancies, yet relatively little is known about the experiences of this diverse population in regard to conception. Aims: This study sought to examine men’s, trans/masculine, and non-binary people’s experiences of pregnancy, including conception. Methods: Interviews were conducted with 51 men, trans/masculine, and non-binary people who were gestational parents living in Australia, Canada, the European Union (including the United Kingdom), and the United States. Thematic analysis was undertaken, focusing on accounts of conception. Pfeffer’s (2012) conceptual frameworks of normative resistance and inventive pragmatism were used as an analytic tool. Results: Themes developed focused on: 1) choosing a clinic donor, 2) kinship with donors, 3) conceiving via intercourse with a partner, 4) negotiating receipt of donor sperm, 5) challenges associated with known donors, 6) challenges associated with fertility clinics, and 7) experiences of conception. Discussion: The forms of normative resistance and inventive pragmatism identified suggest that men, trans/masculine, and non-binary people who are gestational parents seek to normalize their experiences of conception, while also acknowledging the specific challenges they face

Transfer of spectral weight across the gap of Sr2IrO4 induced by La doping

We study with Angle Resolved PhotoElectron Spectroscopy (ARPES) the evolution of the electronic structure of Sr2IrO4, when holes or electrons are introduced, through Rh or La substitutions. At low dopings, the added carriers occupy the first available states, at bottom or top of the gap, revealing an anisotropic gap of 0.7eV in good agreement with STM measurements. At further doping, we observe a reduction of the gap and a transfer of spectral weight across the gap, although the quasiparticle weight remains very small. We discuss the origin of the in-gap spectral weight as a local distribution of gap values

Medical uncertainty and reproduction of the “normal”: Decision-making around testosterone therapy in transgender pregnancy

In this work, we draw upon in-depth interview and focus group data from a three-year international study of 70 trans people (residing across Australia, Canada, the European Union, United Kingdom, and the United States) about their intentions and experiences around pregnancy, as well as 22 health care providers (practicing across Australia, Canada, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States) with self-identified experience working with trans patients and pregnancy along a diverse cross-section of specialty areas (e.g., psychotherapists, general practitioners, endocrinologists, midwives, lactation consultants, OBGYNs, fertility specialists). The central motivating questions guiding the present work are: 1) For trans people who are taking testosterone, what is the medical advice and guidance around stopping or pausing testosterone therapy to become pregnant, throughout pregnancy, and during the postpartum period (particularly in the context of chestfeeding/breastfeeding); 2) What is the evidence base in the medical empirical literature for this guidance; and 3) How do trans people respond to this guidance