From Catalina to Alexis: Chilean teen first to legally change gender

FILE PHOTO: Catalina Parada (R) and her identical twin sister Maria Ignacia pose with a picture of them from the past, before Catalina goes to the civil identification registry to change her name for Alexis, in Santiago, Chile, September 5, 2019. REUTERS/Pablo Sanhueza

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - In 2016, Chilean 14-year old girl Catalina began to identify with friends and family as Alexis, a boy. It took Chile's conservative, Roman Catholic legal system far longer to come around.

Alexis, who was born an identical twin with his sister Maria Ignacia, two weeks ago changed his name and sex in the civil registry, as well as on his birth certificate. The changes paved the way for him to this week request his first government-issued ID.