Me Girl, Me Princess

In July 2007, Monica Gabriela Mansilla from Argentina gave birth to twins: two slightly premature but healthy boys. One of them slept poorly and cried often. His first words were “Me girl, me princess,” and his parents soon found out what those words meant. One son played with cars like he was born for it, while the other preferred dolls, long hair, the color pink and wearing his mom’s clothes. This clearly wasn’t a phase, but both the pediatrician and the psychologist still recommended that the parents ignore and correct the behavior. With that, they went about bringing up their son as a boy. But at the age of four, the child officially introduced herself as Luana. From that moment on, the mother had a daughter, something that outsiders viewed with incomprehension. How do you explain to those around you that being transgender isn’t contagious? And how do you explain to a four-year-old why she's being ignored, or being looked at like she's a freak? Against a neutral backdrop, Mansilla talks candidly about her remarkable daughter and her own development as the parent of a child born in the wrong body. It’s a story of sorrow and frustration, and of acceptance and love.