Born to Be Erased

I was a girl, but from the day I was born, the gender listed on my birth certificate was Male.

I always thought it was a clerical error.

Then, in 1993, I placed first in the county in the sciences on the college entrance exam, and my parents locked me in the cellar.

My mother pleaded with me, "Sam, you're the older sister, but you're also the older brother. Let your brother go to school in your place."

My father frowned around his pipe. "The two of you are twins anyway. You've been a tomboy since you were little. Who could tell you and your brother apart?"