Why a pregnant man really isn't that weird...

I am a little bit concerned.

I've just read The Accidental Scientist's post about a father and daughter in Australia who have just gone public about their relationship and have a 9 month old healthy baby together (full story on The Guardian). Yep, sick and wrong wrong wrong.

But there's something else that's worrying me. After collecting myself and recovering from the shock and uncontrollable cringing, I realised something far more alarming. I was more shocked by this story than the one about the pregnant man! Does that mean I think incest is more unacceptable than a man being pregnant?!

Clearly both stories are socially unacceptable at this point in time - but why was I less gobsmacked by a man carrying a baby? Surely a man and a woman conceiving a child (even if they are father and daughter) is more natural, and hence a smidge more tolerable? Maybe it's because the pregnant man was once a woman, but never fully got rid of his (her?) female reproductive organs. So 'his' pregnancy is not entirely as unnatural as we might have originally thought - he has a uterus!

Look!


(Pregnant man on Oprah)

The pregnant man who used to be a woman is also married to a woman. But they're not a lesbian couple as the transexual man is legally recognised as a male. Ah my head hurts.

So you see, I should be more shocked by this story. Shouldn't I?

But I'm not. A father and a daughter having a baby together still disturbs me more. Maybe it's because a few years ago, gay and lesbian couples getting married, having babies, changing sex etc were no where near as socially acceptable as they are now. And like The Accidental Scientist says, maybe incestuous relationships are heading in this direction too? They're just not there yet.

Together for London

If you're a Londoner, you've probably noticed these friendly faces dotted around the Underground:



Aren't they cheery.

These characters are part of TFL's 'Together for London' campaign which was launched in Feb earlier this year.

TFL is asking us to stop and think about how considerate we are as passengers. I can save you some time pondering, if you do any of these things - you're not.

To be honest, I'm not too sure how effective this campaign's going to be. I mean, if you're the kind of person who won't offer your seat to a pregnant lady, you must be pretty mean. Is a little cartoon character with a big smiley face and a t-shirt saying 'I will offer you my seat', really going to make you see the error of your ways? I think not.

Bring back tomato throwing that's what I say.

That's my head, not an arm rest!

It's bad enough to be around armpit level when travelling on the tube (I'm a pretty short stick girl) - but today I experienced added insult.

I got elbowed in the head, not once, but twice - by the same man!

Fair enough, it's a packed tube, there's not much room to breathe, yada yada - but stop fidgetting and elbowing my head!!

Eventually my deathly stares managed to squeeze out an 'oh, sorry dear', but only after the second elbow.

I turned into this:

10 Things I Hate About You (the Tube)

Thought it was about time I put together my top ten pet hates of tube travelling (in no particular order).



1. People who do not move down the carriage - MOVE DOWN.

2. The announcement that there's 'a good service currently operating on all London Underground lines' even though you've been waiting 15 minutes for your train. (Don't forget to get your refund).

3. People who lean so much on their armrests so that they spill over into MY SEAT. Back off.

4. People who insist on reading, even when there is NO MORE ROOM. No, that's not a space for your paper, that's my FACE.

5. When the tube you're on terminates a few stops before your destination - the bastads.

6. People that put their bags in an empty seat. Seats are for bottoms, not your bag!

7. People who know you want to get off the jammed packed tube, but won't move out of the way, in fear that they won't be able to get back on - see how the tube drives people krazy? (Yes, krazy. With a k).

8. People that listen to their MP3 players so loud that the whole carriage can hear it - thanks for sharing, but your music is rubbish.

9. Happy people. The Tube is no place for you - SAVE YOURSELVES.

10. People who don't usually get on the tube during rush hour saying to their friend 'God I couldn't do this every day! Chuckle chuckle'.

Baby on board

No no, I don't have a baby on board. But the other day I saw a pregnant woman getting off the tube wearing this:



Apparently TFL trialled these badges back in 2005, but it's the first time I've seen one. I think they're great!

So often people just ignore pregnant women on the tube and don't even offer them a seat - you know, the old 'look down, don't make eye contact, just keep looking down...'. Maybe this little badge will help?