A pair of sisters have revealed how their mum reacted when they came out as trans and how they often suffer stares and whispers when out in public.
Suellen Carey is a model and influencer with over 475,000 followers, while her sister, Carla, also has an impressive 305,000 fans.
The siblings, aged 37 and 40 respectively, both live in London.
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They say they had a hunch that they both felt the same way about their gender identity from a young age.
The sisters are openly and proudly trans – but this doesn’t come without its challenges, especially with so many fans online.
“Transphobia is part of our reality – even in a city like London,” Suellen told Need To Know.
“Some doctors treat us strangely, people on public transport stare and then the questions come.
“People often say ‘Have you had surgery?’ and I’ve even had that on a first date.
“But if there’s one thing we won’t do, it’s stay silent.
“Of course it hurts but we turn it into something.
“Otherwise, the pain just piles up.”
Carla said: “We realised early on that our sisterhood would go far beyond blood ties.
“From whispered conversations in our bedroom, silent glances and discomfort in the mirror.
“We discovered – almost simultaneously – that we shared the same truth.
“We were trans women.
“Everyone always said we were ‘different.’
“But our mother was always supportive, strong and firm.
“She used to say, ‘You have to know how to enter and leave any place.’
“And we listened to that.”
The sisters say that “growing up trans also means learning not to soften who you are.”
Suellen said: “For us, transition was built through stumbles and laughter – with the kind of lightness only possible between two people who have walked the same path.
“We fight like any sisters but we’re always there when the other needs it.
“And we don’t hold back when it comes to criticising imposed gender norms.
“I often wear shirts with provocative phrases.
“One of my most talked-about quotes is ‘A man who dates trans women is still straight’.
“We’re not here to be anyone’s exception, much less someone’s secret.”
But awkward moments still arise for the influencers, one of which is now a family anecdote.
Suellen said: “I brought my mother [along] to lunch with a friend.
“In the middle of the meal, my mum blurted out: ‘Did you know my daughter is a transvestite?’
“After an awkward silence, my friend calmly replied: ‘I didn’t know’.
“It was tragic, funny and wonderful all at the same time.”
Suellen and Carla, who originally hail from Belo Horizonte, Brazil, are so in tune that they can understand what the other needs with “just a look”.
They said: “When one of us falls, the other helps her get up.
“In the end, what we reveal goes beyond trans experience.
“It’s about being a woman in a world that tries to use shame as control.
“We live as if we refuse to apologise for existing — and that is what makes our story so powerful.”
