Neanderthal Arts Festival: My Pregnant Brother

“I want you to meet my…sibling!” - Johanna Nutter, My Pregnant Brother

A few years ago, Oprah introduced to the world a very pregnant Thomas Beattie, a transgendered woman, who decided to carry his and his wife’s children due to her infertility. The reason I know that is because this pregnancy was huge news! Like, it was next to impossible to flip through the television’s channels and NOT see “The Pregnant Man”. While Beattie’s pregnancy was exploited and sugar coated by the media in the sense that he and his wife were so excited to bring home a baby, I (as the little Communications student that I am) could’’ help but think that there must have been more to that story. For example, why is it such a shocker that a woman (because really, Thomas started out life as one) is giving birth to a child?

My confusion was eased and I gained more respect for the whole situation after watching My Pregnant Brother; a story, told by playwright and performer, Johanna Nutter, that details with the experience she had with the pregnancy of her brother…or transgendered sister. Through story, chalk drawings of signs and landmarks of both Montreal and BC, and a minimal usage of props, Johanna successfully outlined what made the idea of a “Pregnant Man” the big deal that it is. By describing what her sister-turned-brother went through with family, relationships, and identity crisis, the audience was able to see and fully understand what a delicate situation it really is. The whole idea of others in a religious community (she had a church with a cross drawn very large behind her) seeing what looked like a pregnant man, and dealing with transgendered peoples in our world today is one struggle I particularly liked in Johanna’s story as it removed her as the focal point to the narrative. She explained what her brother went through in terms of seeking acceptance from their mother, homelessness, relationship heartache, gender confusion after her breast removal surgery, and getting impregnated by a man; not a syringe filled with sperm like Beattie.

A huge thanks to Johanna Nutter for inviting us on her insightful journey. Again, thank you to the Neanderthal Arts Festival for accommodating Y57 in the way that they did! Keep going to theatre…it’s good for you. Until next week!

Photo credit: www.thal.ca

About the Author: Racquel Belmonte

Racquel is a struggling voice over actress who will be starting her third year as a Communications Major and Publishing Minor at SFU in the fall. Aside from sounding like a ten year old boy, she prides herself in being able to find lightness and humour in any given situation and considers every opportunity an opportunity for laughter and fun. Racquel is very interested in youth culture, most specifically how youth is represented in media and how youth are marketed. She likes most people and loves meeting and working with a diverse range of individuals. When she?s not doing essays, hanging out with friends, or stalking celebrities on Twitter, Racquel is learning how to sing so that she will land a role on Glee as the love interest of any of the show's characters...ANY of them.

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