Suchita and Savita Naidu, aged 21, grew up as biological sisters but have now been brother and sister for the last three years after Savita transitioned to a male.
The pair were born five minutes apart in Camden, North London, before moving to Malaysia in 2005 when they were three-years-old.
Despite being identical on the outside, that is where the similarities ended and it was apparent the pair were different even from the age of two.
Suchita loved make-up sets, Barbie dolls and anything pink while Savita refused to wear dresses and loved motorbikes, cars, football and superheroes.
Suchita said she didn’t even recognise her sister as a girl while they were growing up while Savita knew inside she was different from the age of five.
The twins moved back to Britain, aged 10, with their parents and two elder sisters in 2012 to live in Watford and attended Watford Grammar School for Girls.
Savita came out as gay in Year 9 in 2016 and as trans man in 2020 at the end of their A-Levels which they say brought them closer together than ever before.
Three years later, Savita is now preparing to support sister Suchita’s bid to be crowned the next Miss England after she reached the pageant’s semi-finals.
Suchita, a communications and engagement officer for a local council, said: “Growing up it became apparent that Savita was different even from the age of around two – they would just not wear dresses.
“I was in girls clothes and Savita was always in boys clothes even back then.
“My twin would traditionally play with what you’d call traditional boys toys, whereas I was all about Barbies and the colour pink.
“We could not have been more different. But at that age we weren’t familiar with LGBT issues but I remember being 5 or 6 and thinking ‘my twin sister is not a girl’.
“I just had this visceral feeling deep inside me that I was uncomfortable with her being a girl, it just didn’t seem right.
“Weirdly, I leant these feelings coincided with Savita thinking exactly the same thing at around the same.
“Savita liked cars and superheroes and I liked dresses, make-up and flowers. I was this girlie-girl while Savita was a tom-boy.
“On our seventh birthdays – I had this pink Barbie doll while Savita had this big motorbike toy.
“Our family believed it would be a phase but the longer it went on the more it felt like I had a brother.
“We had lots of things in common and shared passions too, we read about two books each a day and we’re both into politics and sociology, and that sort of thing.
“It was around Year 9 at secondary school Savita came out as gay. But they didn’t even come out to me, it was in front of all out friends.
“We were actually on a school trip in France and I admitted to our friends that I was bi, and Savita looked at me and just said ‘really, because I’m so gay’.
“And we just sort of laughed because it’s not something we had confided in each other.
“Then at the end of our A-Levels it was that point Savita came out as trans.
“Again, I had to find out from a friend who just began using they/them pronouns one day when talking about Savita and I had to ask, ‘so you’re a man now?’
“This was probably a bigger revelation for me as it was confirmation my twin was no longer a woman but at the same time it was something I sort of already knew.
“It was not a shock, We have this intrinsic connection as twins as well. “It’s actually quite spooky, in the past when I’ve got home I’ve called out Savita’s name thinking they were in when they were actually out.
“The next thing I get a phone call from Savita saying: ‘Did you want me for something?’. That has happened multiple times. I guess it’s a twin thing.”
Suchita said she was inspired to enter Miss England following a tarot reading where she dealt herself a ‘universe card’ featuring a Miss Universe beauty queen.
She has now become a finalist in Miss England’s first ever ‘make up free’ regional heat which will take place on September 29.
She added: “I’d always thought about entering a beauty pageant and three weeks ago I was doing tarot cards as I’m quite into astrology and I’m quite religious also.
“The world card in this deck was the universe card and on it was a picture of a Miss Universe contestant. “I sort of joked ‘what if I was Miss Universe?’ and it just went from there. I’ve always been quite a sociable person and the competition appealed to me.
“I applied to Miss England and then I heard back to say I was in the semi-finals of the regional heat. “I’ve always felt like I’ve been judged just on my looks and I’ve always fought for validity for people to look beyond that and that’s what appeals about Miss England because it’s about more than being beautiful.
“I’m really excited to be competing, I want to use this platform to find a voice and help people and I’m proud to have my twin supporting me along the way. “
Savita, who uses the pronouns they and him, was inspired to come out by the likes of trans singer Noahfinnce and actor Elliot Page.
Savita, who is currently studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics at University College London, said: “For me it was more of a shock finding out I was a girl.
“It was ridiculous really, even at our third birthday I had this green Madagascar cake and Suchita had a pink one. “During childhood I was running around with a Wayne Rooney Manchester United shirt on while Suchita was always in dresses.
“One birthday we were both given denim dresses and I ended up giving mine to Suchita at the end of the day. “In Malaysia there seems to be less focus on traditional gender roles, men can be feminine and women masculine.
“But I think my parents always thought I might grow out of it and I was never aware of it being illegal in Malaysia until I was back in Britain and a bit older.
“You can still get sentenced to being lashed with a whip there just for being a lesbian. “I was never discouraged against it, but my parents are quite traditional so it was hard telling them I was gay and then coming out as a trans man.
“During secondary school, we started learning about the LGBT community and all the feelings I had inside me began to make sense.
“I could walk down the corridor and look in the mirror and not see a girl looking back at me. But I was in an all-girl’s school so it never quite felt like the right time.
“I did come out as gay in Year 9, I think the taboo over homosexuality is no longer there. “I also got to the point where I knew these feelings inside me weren’t going to change and came out as a trans man in 2020 and in a way that was easier..
“In terms of trans issues we are almost at a similar point where homosexuality was in the 90s and is still a divisive issue with talk of trans agendas and some people not even thinking we’re real.
“I’m currently on a year-long waiting list for a gender identify clinic which should help with my transition by giving me testosterone.
“I no longer feel like I’m hiding and have accepted who I am, it everything finally makes sense.
“Coming out actually made us a lot closer as twins too as it forced us have those intimate conversations with each other. I couldn’t be without her.”
