Two identical twin sisters from Brazil underwent double gender confirmation surgery at a doctor.
Mayla Rezende and Sofia Albuquerck, who grew up in the small town of Tapira in southwestern Brazil, were born male, but say they always knew they were girls.
“I would blow dandelion seeds in the air and I would like God to turn me into a girl,” Rezende, a 19-year-old brunette studying medicine, said in an interview with AFP. “I’ve always loved my body, but I didn’t like my genitals.”
Although sex reassignment surgery is covered by Brazil’s nationalized healthcare, clinics are few and far between, and the waiting list can be long.
The girls planned to travel to Thailand for their procedures, but were able to stay locally. They hired a private doctor, with the financial help of their grandfather, who auctioned properties to finance the nearly $ 20,000 operations.
On February 11 and 12, the sisters received surgery to assert their gender identity.
Dr. Jose Carlos Martins of Transgender Center Brazil performed five-hour surgeries on sisters one day apart.
“This is the only case reported in the world by twins who were supposed to be male at birth undergoing female confirmation surgery together,” the doctor said.
It was a long time coming for girls who had been subjected to sexual assault and harassment in their youth.
Brazil is well known as one of the most transphobic countries – although the US also has its share of tragic anti-trans attacks. Last year alone, 175 trans people were killed in Brazil, according to the Brazilian National Association of Transvestites and Transsexuals (ANTRA), most of any country.
However, the young women praise their parents for accepting them. Rezende called their mother “lioness” and added “she fiercely protected us.” The twins have two additional sisters.
Albuquerck, who works for a degree in civil engineering in São Paulo, said: “I am proud to be a trans woman.” She told the French press: “I have lived too long with the fear of society.”
When her sister was seen after the operation, she broke down in tears.
“When I woke up, I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “It simply came to our notice then. I no longer feel this discomfort when I lie down or sit down. It’s a wonderful thing. ”