Efrat “Age 70, it is considered a mark of shame in the LGBTQ community.”

“I am 77 years old, one of the first transgender women in Israel. I live in sheltered housing in Tel Aviv. I live alone, not in a relationship. In my youth, in the 60s, I had to flee and live in Berlin, and I returned to Israel only at an older age. Today, I volunteer with the Israel Police and am a co-creator of a play and a documentary about my life.

Once  I swore to myself that the day I underwent gender transition and received my new identity, I would no longer have a past, that my life would begin from the moment I received my new identity. I vowed not to tell anyone about my past. On one hand, I was fortunate because I could fulfill myself and the profession I wanted to do for 22 years. I was a flight attendant, no one knew there that I was transgender. But on the other hand, it was difficult for me; I suffered because I lived in a lie and secrecy. Sometimes I wanted to shout that I was not what I appeared to be, but I did not dare to do it because it could have ruined my life. But today, I do talk about it…”

“I am the first transgender woman volunteer with the Israel Police, and I do a lot for the community. I am an activist. I share my story wherever possible, and I feel it is a mission. Thanks to the transgender women who put themselves on the line, including me, who were arrested by the police for nothing, we have the LGBTQ+ center and all these things… And I always say, don’t forget us, we are your foundation…”

“When I was young, I never thought I would grow old. I never thought I would be 70. A woman at that age is considered old. I always thought of myself as young, beautiful, sexy, glamorous, and healthy, with the world at my feet. Being 70 is considered a stigma. Trans women are not allowed to be sick; they always need to be well, always smiling. I’m not allowed to show that I’m in pain, that I’m not feeling well, the painful expressions on my face. If I do, society will turn its back on me and leave me alone… I always need to be beautiful and attractive. Who would have thought I would ever have a belly? Today I have a belly, back pain, high blood pressure, cholesterol. Like all older people who have problems. It spares no one, not even a trans woman.”