The 19-year-old Saskia von Bargen from Friedrichsfeld in Lower Saxony wants to be the new Miss Germany this weekend – as the first trans woman ever. The trainee about the hate she experiences as a result, the accusation that she is only a quota candidate, and what it’s like to know in elementary school that she is in the wrong body.
Ms. von Bargen, what was it like for you when you realized at the age of five that you were living in the wrong body?
There wasn’t one moment, it was a gradual anticipation. Even as a small child, I felt that I didn’t conform to the norm. I much preferred playing with girls and wearing dresses. For me it was the best when I was allowed to dress up with other boys. In elementary school, I didn’t understand at first why I wasn’t allowed to wear a dress there.