A TRANSGENDER man and his partner are fundraising so they can adopt a child.

Mitch Fogle, who used to be a woman, and Michelle Witmer have already tried artificial insemination.

But the couple, from Brighton, said that despite six months of trying they did not succeed and adoption is now their only option.

Michelle, 41, and Mitch, 27, met in California in 2008 during an LGBT demonstration.

They fell in love and got married in Washington DC, where they lived, in 2011 before moving to Brighton the following year.

Michelle said they longed to have their own family.

She said: “I was born in Germany. My mother and I moved to the US with my stepfather who was in the American Army. I was ten.

“My mother was on her own for the first time and she didn’t manage her money well so we moved around and I went to different schools.

“We moved to Virginia to live with my mother’s sister. When I got older I got into a habit of not settling in one place.

“When I met Mitch we fell in love pretty quickly.”

Michelle, a coffee shop manager, said they thought Brighton accepted them for who they were so they decided to build their life here.

She said: “We searched the world to find a place where we can live happily ever after.

“Each flat rented and every piece of furniture we bought was for the family we are trying to have.

“I truly believe our decisions are always made with our children in mind, the children we will one day have. Having a family of our own means a lot to us. Mitch was adopted and I had moved around a lot so we want to make a home.

“Early last year we began home insemination. This was a six-month long endeavour which ended when I turned 40. We were not successful.

“So adoption was on the books and we’re communicating with Brighton and Hove City Council. We need to contact the American Embassy for a letter of good conduct.”

They also need to prove that Mitch, deputy manager at a care home, has fully recovered from surgery connected with his sex change.

The couple need to have a minimum of one year’s salary saved so there will be no financial struggles when one takes the first year off to mind the child.

They are currently £10,000 off their £25,000 target.

Michelle said: “A loan isn’t possible. We are responsible spenders and adopting a child has been our goal for many years. We have suffered ridicule, some people told us ‘why didn’t we go back to America’ and that we shouldn’t be adopting children but we know we will make good parents.”