Transgender man fighting to be registered as a ‘father’ OR ‘parent’ rather than a ‘mother’ on his birth certificate
A TRANSGENDER man who gave birth is battling to be registered as "dad" or "parent" on the birth certificate.
Freddy McConnell, 32, wants his child to be the first in Britain to legally not have a mother.
Sir Andrew McFarlane lifted a reporting restriction banning identification of the parent after a media campaign to unmask Freddy.McConnell started taking testosterone aged 25 and had his breast tissue a year later - but never had his uterus removed because he had not ruled out wanting kids.
He conceived with a sperm donor and stopped taking the injections in a bid to become pregnant.
He said: "Any parent can relate to that bone-deep urge to just keep your child safe.
FIRST BABY WITH NO LEGAL MUM
"I thought that we would be anonymous the whole way through because I thought that in these cases anonymity remains in place to protect children involved in the proceedings.
"That is my primary concern at all times. And that was the basis on which I decided to pursue the action."
National newspaper editors challenged the order after McConnell featured in a documentary film and newspaper article about his journey to parenthood.
They said he should be named as a result of "self-generated" publicity.
Sir Andrew's ruling to lift the anonymity order was made on Thursday.
The case has been analysed at High Court hearings in London in recent months and lawyers representing the man are lined up against lawyers representing the Registrar General for England and Wales and Government ministers.
It hit the headlines in June after another judge oversaw a preliminary hearing.
Mr Justice Francis said then that the issue had never been raised in a court in England and Wales before.
The judge said if the man won his fight ministers might have to consider changing the law.
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He said the baby could not be identified in media reports and said journalists should not reveal the baby's gender or age, or the man's age, and should not give any clue as to where the man and the child lived.
Lawyers say other transgender men have given birth but have been registered on birth certificates as mothers.
They say if the man wins his fight the child will be the first person born in England or Wales not to legally have a mother.