“Becoming Nicole”

The book, Becoming Nicole is well worth reading. It is the true story of an identical twin who transitions from male to female.

The twins were adopted as infants. From a very young age, Nicole preferred feminine clothes, and toys that are usually identified with girls. Her mother researched the child’s behavior, in the beginning not even being familiar with the word “transgender.” Her father thought his wife was wrong to allow this feminine dress and behavior.

Gradually, Nicole’s mother began to understand what her child was experiencing. It took her father much longer to accept that his child was a girl stuck in a boy’s body. As a teenager, Nicole completed the transition from male to female.

The book includes a clear but not simplistic explanation of what happens in brain and body that impels a person to make such a transition. Reading this book opened my eyes to the biological realities that determine sexual identity.