For a good-looking, middle-aged Australian "bloke", life was going swimmingly for Sydney man Brett Skinner.
A fitness fanatic, Brett was a gym junkie and enjoyed manly pursuits like surfing and riding powerful motorbikes away from his day job in retail sales.
He'd been married and divorced (they're still close friends), but was yearning for a long-term female companion again.
Using a dating app, in 2012 Brett lucked out when he came across an attractive Thai woman, Nuna, who was studying in Sydney.
They dated for six months before moving in together and in May 2013, took the next step and wed. The couple was looking forward to a life like any other, but Brett was suffering from a rare medical condition that would change both their lives forever. They are still living together today, but now as Brianna and Nuna, two women.
LIFE CHANGING
Brett had always taken good care of himself and by 2012, had gone to the gym every day for five years to try and tone his body to perfection. But after one intense session when he was checking his body in front of a locker room mirror, he was shocked by what he saw.
DRESS-UP TIME: Nuna and Brianna at a carnival.
"I had boobs," he told Spectrum. "It wasn't chest muscle. I literally saw a pair of female breasts on my chest," he explained with embarrassment.
He kept checking himself every day and his "boobs" kept getting bigger. Getting over his initial embarrassment, he decided to see a doctor for professional help. The doctor told him he had Partial Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (PAIS), a rare genetic disorder.
The UK's National Health Service says Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (AIS) is a genetic fault which means that, despite being genetically male, the body doesn't respond to testosterone (the male sex hormone) properly and male sexual development doesn't happen as normal.
Often the penis doesn't form or is underdeveloped. The child's genitals may appear female, or between male and female, but they don't have a womb or ovaries and have fully or partially undescended testicles.
The NHS says in Partial Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome cases, testosterone still has some effect on sexual development, so the genitals are often between male and female.
Brett said his doctor told him his body had slowly stopped producing testosterone and now the female hormone estrogen had started kicking in.
When he found out the PAIS diagnosis, he broke down in tears.
Confused and lost, he didn't know what to do. As he was in a serious relationship with Nuna, he decided that she should be the first to know. But feeling guilt and embarrassment he tried to push Nuna out of his life so she could find a "better man".
Nuna was having none of Brett's self-pity. "I don't care what you are becoming," she recalls telling him. "As long as you still love me and are faithful to me, that's all I really care about," Nuna said, saying she broke down when she realised Brett didn't want her in his life any longer.
They parted for a short time, but Nuna moved back in with Brett when he started hormone replacement treatment. His doctor implanted a capsule of testosterone in his thigh muscle which was meant to last for a year. But his condition didn't improve, even with the hormone replacement. The treatment only maintained his male hormones at a level which did not affect his bone density, or induce mood swings and age-related illnesses.
"I asked Nuna to marry me when I was still in my male body. I wanted to get married as husband and wife."
THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT
Without going into detail other than to say his transformation was "natural", Brett says in the years after their marriage, he decided to live as a woman. It was then that Brett became Brianna.
Under Australian law, Brett is allowed to change from male to female status. She is now called Brianna Skinner. All of her legal documents, including her passport, driving licence, ID card and more now show her as a female.
She now has a full female figure and says her face has become softer, her nose appears more prominent.
Everything changed dramatically, except for her voice. She is considering an operation on her vocal chords, but is afraid she could lose or damage her voice.
It doesn't bother Brianna much, except for the fact she can't get a job.
Transforming into a woman was an emotional and unforgettable experience. What hurts more than her life being turned upside down by a rare medical condition is the fact she struggles to be accepted by society and faces discrimination.
"When I first found out from the doctor about my condition, I immediately wrote a letter to my parents to explain to them what happened. They seemed to be able to accept it well. They told me not to worry about anything and encouraged me to get the medical treatment. But after they found out about my full transformation, they couldn't accept it and they are no longer talking to me," Brianna told Spectrum over a video call from Sydney with tears in her eyes.
The only true family now is Nuna, who stood by her from day one, from when she was still the handsome Brett until today as the beautiful Brianna. Nina told Spectrum that living with her is like living with a lover, best friend and sister. Nuna's family also understands the situation and is able to accept Brianna. They have adopted her as a part of their family with no prejudice against her gender or condition.
FACING DISCRIMINATION
Brianna has never experienced how it truly feels living as a woman. She is now 45 years old and is still exploring her new world.
With the support she gets from her wife, to whom she is still legally married, Brianna should be able to undergo the transition with ease. But stepping outside of her comfort zone can expose her to negative experiences.
"There were many times that I was stopped from entering public venues such as restaurants or nightclubs. They simply said they can't allow someone like me to enter the venues. I often made a complaint to management, which was later resolved. But I think I shouldn't have to go through this if people are more understanding and accepting," Brianna explained.
"Men also look at any transgender, including myself, as a sex object. Asian transgenders here are more accepted than Caucasian transgenders. But then again, they are looked at as an exotic sex object. Sometimes, when I go out, men will come to me and start to harass me physically. They grab my private parts and mock me."
Besides struggling with a lack of acceptance, Brianna has also found herself taken advantage of on social media and by mainstream media. When her story was first shared on social media, Brianna and Nuna became the centre of attention. People wanted to talk to them and write stories about them. But Brianna met a group of Thai people in Sydney who began to act as her agents.
Whoever wanted to write a story about her had to go through the agents first. After a while, the couple decided to keep the story for themselves, although it ended up being sold without their knowledge to a leading Thai newspaper. They told Brianna that she couldn't tell her story to anyone else without their permission and promised her some money. The money never came.
Brianna, who worked in retail and restaurants before her transformation, is now unemployed. She applied for many jobs in Sydney, where she was contacted for interviews.
But as soon as they heard her voice and saw her transgender identity, she was told the position had been filled.
CHILLI QUEEN
There is one place where Brianna feels safe and accepted without question, and it's an unlikely one: the chilli eating community. Once a year, a festival for chilli lovers takes place and participants compete to see who can eat the most hot peppers. The chilli eating championship is a fund-raising event for soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Brianna entered the competition after she found she could tolerate the reaper chilli, which is ranked as the world's second-hottest. She recorded her first attempt to eat the chilli on video and uploaded it on YouTube. When she entered the competition last year, she won and took home the title of "Chilli Queen" for having eaten 31 reaper chillies.
Recently, a man outperformed Brianna by eating one more than Brianna's record 31 chillis. Brianna plans to top his record and take the title back at another chilli eating event that's being held later this year.
"I'm proud of myself for what I have achieved but what I am even happier about is the fact that men in the chilli eating community can accept me as who I am. They respect me as a human being unlike those in the city who look at me as less than human," Brianna said.
LOVE IS LOVE
Although almost all of Brianna's documents register her as a woman, one legal document remains unchanged: her birth certificate. It still shows her birth gender as a man. She explained that the only reason she kept it that way was to ensure she could keep her marriage certificate. Since Australia still doesn't legally recognise same-sex marriage, Brianna has no choice but to keep it this way in order to maintain their marital status.
"If something happens to me, I at least hope that Nuna still can earn some benefits from me. After all, she is my wife and we are living together as a married couple," Brianna said.
As much as people think their relationship is a little bit strange, both Brianna and Nuna agree that love is love and it can happen between any genders. Brianna is unable to have children with Nuna but that doesn't make their family any less than any other.
Nuna, 33, can see herself spending the rest of her life being with Brianna. She is not attracted to women but she chooses to be with Brianna because of the love and understanding they have shared from the day they met.
"Love for us is trust from the heart. We trust each other 100%. It doesn't concern gender or anything like that. We respect each other's choices and I respect her decision for choosing her identity," Nuna explained.
"Trust and respect are the most important keys to a healthy relationship -- just like what we have together. I only have eyes for Nuna and we will grow old and take care of each other forever," Brianna said.
The pair expects to retire in Ratchaburi province in Thailand, where Nuna is from. They both feel that Thai people are more understanding and accepting when it comes to gender diversity.
A YOUNG BLOKE: Brett Skinner was a fit and athletic Sydney man, who enjoyed a variety of sports, a day job in retail sales and his role as a loving husband to wife, Nuna.
CAUSE TO CELEBRATE: Nuna and Brianna at a party. Since going public as a couple, they have received mixed reactions. Some find them inspiring, while some see their relationship as odd.
