A strong sense of identity
A mental basket case more likely. From the Florida
Sun-Herald:
Born a man, he became a woman, then a man again � what's next?
High on prescription painkillers and four days without sleep, Michael Berke raced his Harley to the megachurch where he�d found a home.
He barged into the church office, cursing loudly and wearing a mesh shirt printed with profanity. In his hands he held a picture of a woman with long, red hair and pouty lips.
�This is who I used to be,� he said.
�And this� � he gestured to his breastless chest, bald head and red goatee � �is who I�ve become.�
He was born a man. After a lifetime as a social misfit, he had transformed himself into Michelle, a saucy redhead. Then, three months ago, he had become Michael again � with the financial aid and spiritual encouragement of Calvary Chapel of Fort Lauderdale.
Now, he wanted to be Michelle again, and he blamed Calvary for making him the man he had become.
And the reason for this behavior:
It has never been about sex. And the new clothes and 45 pairs of shoes were fun, but not fulfilling.
Berke wanted friendship � the kind women have.
He dreamed of shopping together and gossiping in the bathroom. �I always admired how girls can hold hands, girls can hug, cuddle, and there�s nothing abnormal about it. It�s not sexual,� he says. �The whole girl lifestyle is just so much more social and caring and loving and understanding.�
OK then -- now just try to look at it from the viewpoint of a potential friend:
He spent about $80,000, maxing out his credit cards on surgery and provocative women�s clothes. He got a nose job, brow lift and fat injections in his cheeks. His primary-care physician gave him hormones, and after a year he got breast implants..
Michael kept his penis; that surgery cost too much, and he still identified himself as a heterosexual. (He�s had relationships with women and says he�s still hoping to meet one with whom he could spend his life.)
And:
He doesn�t work, relying on money from his father and disability checks from knee injury.
Let's see -- No job, Maxed out Credit (but still drives a Harley), Mooches off a Church, No sense of self identity.
A perfect candidate for a torrid romance if you ask me... Makes me wanna move to Florida just to be with him.
Now I need to find the brain bleach. Oh yes, there are before and after photos at the
Sun-Herald website.
Posted by DaveH at November 19, 2007 9:08 PM