The UK’s first pregnant man told British television that he has received death threats from people who don’t understand his situation. Born a woman, Hayden Cross was undergoing hormone treatment when he took a break from transitioning to have a child.
Speaking on ITV in his first televised interview, 20-year-old Cross, who is now legally male, said “I’ve had some good reactions but I’ve had some bad reactions. I’ve had death threats, people threatening to beat me up.” He also said the anger directed towards him is the product of people not understanding his situation.
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Cross became pregnant after finding an anonymous donor on Facebook. He claims that he took the drastic measure after the NHS refused to freeze his eggs.
“They came to my house and then basically came into a pot then gave it to me so I could do it myself,” he said, describing his meeting with the donor, with whom he had spoken only a few times. “I don’t even know their real name.”
The one piece of information the donor did provide was that his family had no medical history.
Cross said he is not looking forward to giving birth and would ideally have waited until later in life to embark upon parenthood. He said his poor relationship with his family had inspired him to start his own.
Cross, whose transition procedure is currently on hold, said he would continue taking hormones and undergo surgery after giving birth.
“I’m not gonna hide it from my kid. I want my kid to know and I’m just hoping my kid will be open minded like me and accept it.”
The NHS said in a statement that they do not freeze eggs for non-cancer patients, but do accept appeals for exceptional circumstances. Cross said he had appealed but was turned down.