Friedrich Chernyshov was 19 years old when he told his parents he wanted to change his sex. Their reaction mirrored that of Ukrainian society to the issue of transgenderism – a lack of understanding, active discouragement, and a breakdown in relations.Nevertheless, Chernyshov went ahead with hormonal therapy during the summer holidays when he was a fourth-year university student, and resumed his studies a different person, at least in terms of external appearance.

According to the American Psychological Association, “transgender is an umbrella term for persons whose gender identity, gender expression or behavior does not conform to that typically associated with the sex to which they were assigned at birth.”