A mother and her 10-year-old daughter from Brazil have completed a gender transition together, identifying now as father and son.
Raphael, 38, and Gustavo Batista, 10, hailing from Sao Paulo, were both born with female biological characteristics but now embrace their male identities.
Raphael began his transition last year, choosing to be recognized as male. In September 2024, he shared a video on Instagram discussing his journey with gender identity, which included the caption (translated from Portuguese): “Do I experience dysphoria in my body? Yes.”
When asked if Gustavo influenced his decision to transition, Raphael explained to G1, “It didn’t have any influence, but he [Gustavo] gave me strength and courage to face [the transition].”
The pair have shared their uplifting story with their nearly 25,000 Instagram followers, receiving widespread support for their journey. They have also addressed the challenges of being called by their “dead names,” the names they used before their transitions.
“Although it is our right to have our chosen names respected, that respect is not always given in practice,” they stated in a translated caption.
Gustavo, who is a student, also works as an actor, having portrayed both transgender and cisgender characters in film.
He is receiving care at the Transdisciplinary Outpatient Clinic for Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation at the Institute of Psychiatry and the Pediatric Endocrinology Unit at the Children’s Institute of Hospital das Clinicas in Sao Paulo.
In the UK, concerns over safety have led to a ban on puberty blockers for children under 18 who identify as transgender, introduced in December. The Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) noted that there are currently “unacceptable safety risks” associated with prescribing puberty blockers to minors, recommending indefinite restrictions while further safety evaluations are conducted.
