Trystan Reese and Biff Chaplow Oral History Interview

Reese and Chaplow begin their interview by giving a brief background on themselves and their relationship. Reese begins by discussing his coming out story and childhood, and briefly touches on his decision to become pregnant. Chaplow then talks about their childhood and the hardships that they faced in coming out in a conservative town.

A good portion of their interview is spent talking about their decision to have Reese get pregnant and the backlash that they faced as a result, especially the Daily Mail article written about them. Once they discuss Reese’s pregnancy they move on to answering questions from the class, beginning with the controversy surrounding the “first” pregnant man and the damage that their story did. Discussions of transphobia and dating as a trans person in this digital age come up, and lead them to eventually discuss relationship advice and how to overcome adversity in long-term relationships.

Reese and Chaplow also talk about the process of adopting Chaplow’s niece and nephew early on in their relationship and how that has impacted both them and their children. They discuss their parenting style and how they are treated as a queer couple in the Portland area. They wind down the interview by discussing Reese becoming internationally famous, astrology, and the decision to bring their children to church. Chaplow talks about how they felt robbed of the church because of the homophobia they were presented with, and they want to bring the joy that the church brought them as a child to their children. The interview ends on a positive, cheerful note with their son, Leo, coming in and being very excited to see his dads and the class.