Like many pairs of twins, Angel and Fabian Griffin are inseparable.
The pair shared a journey most siblings don’t experience: they transitioned from female to male together. The brothers were assigned females at birth, and when one revealed their intention to undergo a sex change, it became a double coming-out. Both described the internal conflict they experienced while they were growing.
“We had a normal childhood. I can’t say it was good or bad,” Angel told Barcroft TV. “I think we were like 10 or 11 years old…we knew we wasn’t happy. We started changing, back and forth, the way we was dressing. It wasn’t really a back and forth. We were wearing certain clothing, but we would still try to pull off, ‘Oh no! There’s nothing wrong. We’re girly.’”
Fabian felt the same and detailed his difficulty with trying to fit in.
“When we went to high school, I tried to force myself to dress girly,” he said. “I was really uncomfortable. I felt like I was literally trapped.”
Both of them knew from a young age they were attracted to women, but they struggled with their sexuality along with their gender. Angel attempted to date a man and realized it wasn’t for him. He found out he was pregnant with his son, Carlos, three months after he broke up with his ex.
Carlos said he doesn’t put a label on Angel and has called him by his first name since he was young.
“I don’t see him as either. I just see him as a regular parent,” said the teen. “But if I had to see him as one of them, I would most likely say father.”
Thankfully, the men have a supportive mother behind them. Their mom, Louise Griffin, admitted she was initially pained at the revelation, but her love remains unconditional. She said her sons acted more like “males than females” when they were younger.
“When they first came and told me about it, it kinda hurt,” Louise confessed. “But I had to accept it because that’s their life, and I can’t be judgmental. They’re still my kids. I love them regardless.”
Check out the full documentary below:
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