Identical Twins Undergo Gender Reassignment Surgery Together

Identical twins Mayla and Sofia underwent the same five-hour-long gender reassignment surgery after 'never identifying as boys' while growing up.

The 19-year-olds grew up in south east Brazil, saying they never felt comfortable in their male bodies and dreamed of transitioning.

Speaking a week after their operations, Mayla Rezende and Sofia Albuquerck opened up about their journey to AFP.

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Mayla, who studies medicine in Argentina, said: "I always loved my body, but I didn't like my genitalia.

"I would blow dandelion seeds into the air and wish for God to turn me into a girl."

Having the surgery was emotional for Sofia who says she 'wept' after she saw her new body for the first time.

But despite their joy, the pair still live in fear of abuse just for being who they are.

In Brazil, 175 trans people were murdered last year alone, the highest number in any country.

Sofia said: "We live in the most transphobic country in the world."

But the pair are thankful to have the full support of their family - in fact, it was their grandfather who stumped up the cash to pay for their 100,000-reais ($20,000) operations.

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Opening up about their family life, Mayla added: "Our parents weren't afraid of what we were, they were afraid that people would mistreat us."

The twins also praised their mother for looking out for them while growing up, calling her a 'lioness' who always protected them.

Mum Mara Lucia da Silva says she felt 'relief' when they came out as transgender.

She told AFP: "I don't even remember thinking of them as boys. To me, they were always girls."

She added: "In my heart, I always knew they were girls, and that they were suffering.

"I'm upset with myself for never giving them a doll or a dress, for not making them happier when they were girls."

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Looking to the future, Mayla said: "I'm proud to be a trans woman. I've lived in fear of society for too long. Now I'm asking for respect."

Dr Jose Carlos Martins of the Transgender Centre Brazil in Blumenau believes that the surgery is the 'only reported case in the world' of twins undergoing female gender confirmation surgery together.

Dr Martins performed the surgeries one day apart.

Topics: World News

Claire Reid

Claire is a journalist at LADbible who, after dossing around for a few years, went to Liverpool John Moores University. She graduated with a degree in Journalism and a whole load of debt. When not writing words in exchange for money she is usually at home watching serial killer documentaries surrounded by cats. You can contact Claire at [email protected]

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