The Natural Mother of the Child

Belc's memoir of nonbinary parenthood is a pleasure to read from start to finish. He grapples with what gender means in the context of personal development, relationships, pregnancy, being an embodied human generally, and parenting. Actually, grappling is the wrong word. More like, thoughtfully contends with all those areas of intersection and more, while creating a memoir that also reads like a love letter to his wife and their children. The inclusion of family photos and archival bureaucratic paperwork highlighting the discrepancy between parenting as it really occurs and societal ideas about “natural mothers” feels effortless, not forced. I'm just grateful he shared this story with the world.