The Natural Mother of the Child: A Memoir of Nonbinary Parenthood

For author Krys Malcolm Belc, giving birth to his son Samson clarified his gender identity as a nonbinary, transmasculine person. But when his partner Anna adopted Samson, the legal documents listed Belc as “the natural mother of the child.” In a series of connected essays and photographs, Belc offers a thoughtful, lyrical, sometimes painful, and sometimes funny look at the interplay between parenthood and gender, drawing on his own childhood as well as his experiences as a parent. This isn’t a linear memoir, but that is not a criticism; Belc takes us on a journey through personal reminiscences, scientific research, and deep reflection about what it means to be a parent, what “motherhood” is (and why the term doesn’t fit him), and how we document a life. Readers will find themselves grateful to have been along for the ride.