Jaclyn and Jennifer were two twin sisters born in June 1995 to a conservative Christian family. They lived in a state of terrible unhappiness as young children, crying and praying every night to wake up as boys.
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Beginning in early childhood, the twins acted like 'tomboys' and dressed in boys’ clothing, and they were also attracted to girls when they were in school. The problem was that their strict, religious education prevented them from being who they were truly meant to be. Yet, it was impossible for them to hide their true selves, which is why, at 15 years old, Jaclyn and Jennifer began cross-dressing. At that moment, they realized that they were transgender. A year later, the twins summoned the courage to officially come out. Jack confided to The Independent:
It was even hard to tell each other that we liked girls, but when I told Jace and asked if he would have a different opinion of me, he was like: ‘No, I feel the same way.’ When he said ‘me too’ I felt relieved and not alone anymore.
An incredible transformation
At 18, the twins decided to make the gender transformation together. They began taking testosterone in 2017, and claimed that it made their hair grow rather easily. They then had surgeries to remove their breasts. But their choice was not easily accepted by the rest of the family. Jack stated:
My dad is a pastor. Now I’m the happiest with myself that I have been in my entire life. That uncomfortable feeling we had before has completely gone
Jack and Jace
Now, Jaclyn and Jennifer have changed their names to Jack and Jace.
The latter, Jace, swore that being a twinmade the transformation easier:
If I was to go back to when I was 15 or 16 I would never think in a million years that I would have got to this point. It was a fantasy and I always wished it was going to happen but I wasn’t brave enough. I didn’t have the guts. Being a twin means I don’t feel alone. Somebody else is experiencing the exact same things as I am going through and that made me stronger.
However, Jack and Jace have clearly not had an easy journey and they still often suffer at expense of their peers. Jack, now a deputy sheriff's officer, revealed that his co-workers haven't been so understanding of his transition:
At work I have had my fair share of people calling me a 'sh*t' - she, he, it. Usually they just don't understand. People still refer to us as female. Whenever I hear 'she' or 'her' it is like a kick in the stomach.
Despite the hash comments from his colleagues, Jack admits that his transition was the best thing that could have happened. He continued:
The best way I can describe it is to imagine one of the biggest insecurities you've had for a long time and all of a sudden it's just gone. My girlfriend asked me if it was weird that my body is different now. Honestly, it was more weird for them to be there than not... Now it feels natural.
