His name is Pol Galofre and he hails from Barcelona (Spain). He was a tomboy growing up but his life changed when he went to university, as did his name and appearance. Today he’s fighting for trans rights, and he’s two months pregnant with his first child.
He’s a sound engineer by trade and a warrior by vocation. A born fighter, he lived an oppressed life for many years before he eventually found happiness. He was born in Barcelona in 1987 and, according to the newspaper La Vanguardia, he was a tomboy growing up. However when he arrived at university he discovered a new world, he found the Trans community.
Like many trans people he was bullied by those around him, both at school and in his neighborhood. They mocked him for being masculine but they accepted him as a man, those insults became less raw.
“I’m a man and I’m pregnant”.
Pol Galofre told La Vanguardia that everyone recognized him as masculine, and he was given an aggressive and dominant social position, just like those who used to make fun of him before his transition.
This gave him a sense of belonging, however it wasn’t right. He was falling into the same pattern of behavior as those who had made fun of him and that disturbed him.
“This journey has caused me to reflect on masculinity:
Now I don’t drink because I’m pregnant but two years ago I came home very drunk, after a night in Barcelona’s Raval neighborhood and it hit me that I didn’t need to be scared anymore. There are other things too: The attention you get. If I go and buy paint with my roommate, she’ll talk to the sales rep and he’ll answer to me. Or if the car breaks down, everyone turns to me instead of to the woman driving… the man has the authority, those who aren’t men occupy a secondary position. And that’s problematic.”
–Pol Galofre explained to La Vanguardia–
But a while ago Pol’s life changed completely when he found out he was pregnant.
His transition process has been accompanied by medical treatments and body modification however he’s always known that he wanted to have a child.
“In Spain, a few months after you are given hormones they recommend that you undergo a hysterectomy, that’s to say the removal of your ovaries and uterus. Many people go through with it because it’s what the doctors have advised, and they don’t question it, and moreover it speeds up the process. It worries me because I don’t want to be dependent on a drugstore my whole life and the hormones are necessary.”
–Pol told La Vanguardia–
The couple were overcome with joy when they learned of the pregnancy and they explained they won’t impose a gender on their baby, in order to avoid the same mistakes that were made with Pol.
They know it won’t be easy but it’s a necessary change.
They are optimistic about the future and know that society is changing for the better but they continue fighting every day. There’s still a long way to go, particularly regarding discrimination and equal rights. Respect.