Transgender Man Who Gave Birth Can’t Be Listed as Father, Court Rules

A biological woman who identifies as a transgender man and gave birth to a child lost an appeal Wednesday to be listed as the father on the birth certificate.

Freddy McConnell was born female and had a mastectomy as an adult but became pregnant via sperm donation. The baby was born in 2018. 

McConnell wanted to be listed as the child’s father on the birth certificate but was told by the registrar that British law would not permit it. 

McConnell then filed suit. A lower court ruled against McConnell last year. This week, the Court of Appeal also ruled against the transgender man.

“In our view, it is not possible simply to say that Parliament has ‘de-coupled’ the concept of ‘mother’ from gender,” the three-judge panel unanimously ruled.

The word “mother,” the court said, has special significance in British law. The justices pointed to the Children Act of 1989, which it said benefits the child by requiring a mother to be listed. 

“[The Act] provides that a mother has automatic parental responsibility for a child from the moment of birth,” the justices ruled. “No-one else has that automatic parental responsibility, including the father. … The fact of giving birth to a child has that effect as a matter of operation of law. It can readily be understood why this could be important in practice. 

“From the moment of birth someone must have parental responsibility…