Yuval Topper-Erez was in the middle of his fourth pregnancy when he decided to treat himself to something he had always loved: taking pictures of births. But the England-based transgender dad had planned to keep the photos between himself and his family. Instead, he shared them with the world, and they are already making an impact.
I love when inspirational people share their births with the world and hoped that I could be that person for others,
Topper-Erez tells Romper.
Specifically, other trans people who have often been told that they could not be parents. I also was hoping my photos would start conversations among birth workers about the variety of birthing people and bodies.
Photographer Tara Leach took the photos early in the morning of May 8, 2019, when Tig, Topper-third Erez’s child, was born. The photos show the intensity and raw emotion that everyone feels when their child is born. The pain of labor, the sharp focus of a supportive birthing partner, the brief moments of rest between contractions, and the joy of two parents holding their baby for the first time.
It just opens up people’s minds,
Leach tells Romper of the images’ impact.
You might have read an article about [transgender pregnancy and birth] before — there certainly have been other fathers who’ve given birth before — and you might have seen pictures of a pregnant man or you might have seen pictures of two men with a baby, but there’s no denying what’s going on in these images. They’re very real.
Topper-Erez wants people who see his photos to realize that every birth is something to be happy about.
Birth, no matter who is birthing and how, is beautiful and sacred,
he says.
All birthing people and their choices deserve to be respected.
Topper-Erez first thought that he and his partner would keep the photos for themselves, but when he saw them, he changed his mind.
I suddenly got the sense that they need to be out there, as they represent so well two causes very close to my heart: normalization of home birth and normalization of trans and nonbinary people giving birth,
he wrote when sharing the photos in a public Facebook post, roughly one year after they were taken.
I hope, among other things, that this album will inspire birth workers and future seahorse dads (AKA gestational fathers),
he said.
I know how meaningful images like this could have been for me before my first pregnancy and how meaningful it is for me to see images of fellow birthing trans and nonbinary people to this day.
Since he made them public, Topper-birth Erez’s photos have gone viral, with hundreds of thousands of shares and likes on Facebook and Instagram.
I got questions and comments from all around the world,
Topper-Erez tells Romper.
Leach says it was clear right away that Topper-photos Erez’s photos of her baby’s home birth would have an effect that would last.
There were people responding to it from all different backgrounds, all different walks of life,
she says.
The positivity far outweighed the few negative comments.
Topper-Erez’s goal was to give other gestational fathers confidence and hope, and it looks like he’s done that.
This is genuinely one of the most important and beautiful things I’ve seen,
one commentator wrote on Facebook.
I’m so terrified and curious about being a birth giver as a trans person and this representation feels so important for me.
