TRANQX: A Story of Identical Transgender Twins Growing Up in an Intolerant World — Joel Berman

Identical African American twins are given up at birth in 1961 by their mother. They are adopted into two separate families. The mother is a graduate student who had an affair with her English professor. Through a rare XXY chromosomal anomaly, the twins are born with different sexes. As they grow up, it becomes apparent they are both transgender.Their childhood is full of gender discontentment. Growing up has many negative experiences typical for the transgender child. The female child, Molleah, sees Mary Martin as Peter Pan on Broadway and becomes obsessed with being Peter Pan. The idea that a woman could play a boy fascinates her. Molleah spends a lot of time role playing as Peter Pan. She participates in martial arts with her father and shuns female clothes and games. During a basketball game with neighborhood teenage boys, the opposing teams are designated as "shirts" and "skins". Teammates forceably remove her shirt to be on the “skins” and expose her breasts. They assault and rape her when they discover she is a girl.Harrison, the male child, plays with dolls and wears dresses. He avoids playing with masculine toys and games forced on him by his father. He insists on spending all day with the girls at daycare playing with their toys and dollhouse. He is degraded and bullied when he is discovered wearing a women's figure skating tutu in the boy's bathroom at school.Their parents learn about transgender issues, but they refuse to accept them and move away from any good relationship with their children. They won't acknowledge their children's discontentment, demanding that their actions and behavior fit in with their physical sexual appearances. Mom wants Molleah to be feminine and dad wants her to be his little angel. Harrison's dad wants his son to play ball and only play with boys' toys.20 years later, the adult twins meet at a transgender lecture. Molleah sees in Harrison what she wants, and he sees a reflection of himself as a girl in Molleah. They move in together. This is a story defining the problems and disappointments facing transgender children as they seek their true sexual identities. It guides the reader through the psychological, sexual, and physical changes facing transgender people. The racial issues impact their transition as well as their ability to fit into a world where transgender is only beginning to find acceptance.The twins embark on an investigative journey to discover their true identies by seeking out their anonymous biological parents. Through their adventures, they experience many hardships and successes that lead up to an unexpected turn of events.The story covers the genetics of identical twins and the XXY chromosomal anomaly. The transgender issues include the complexities of social life, and the emotional and physical difficulties of transitioning. During and after the transition, they are forced to effectively defend themselves and others from bullying, gay bashing, raping, and hate filled aggressors. Their newly found confidence and sense of self release their inhibitions, allowing them to rally against those who oppose and abuse the LGBTQIA community.Joel Berman is a surgeon and published author of both fiction and nonfiction books. He approaches the transgender issues realistically and emotionally. He portrays the lives of two individuals born into wrong sexual bodies who finally find happiness in their transition. It describes factual details about transition, based on Dr. Berman's extensive research and education. He tells an engaging story about the personal triumphs of two siblings, each of whom want the emotional, sexual and physical body of the other.