Meet The Transgender "Sistergirls" Of the Tiwi Islands (Photos)

A collection of photographs have highlighted the lives of the Sistergirls - the transgender, homosexual or bisexual indigenous people living on Australia's remote Tiwi Islands, where children as young as six identify as being transgender.

Tiwi Islands in the Northern Territory has the highest population of transgender people in Australia.
Locals say as many as five per cent of the population consider themselves a Sistergirl.

Laura Orsto, 31 and pictured above courageously told her conservative parents that she identified as a Sistergirl when she was just in primary school.

'Age 10 I knew I was a Sistergirl. It was really, really, very hard for me to come out because my parents are really strict and didn't want me to be out there as a Sistergirl. They wanted me to be saved,' she told BuzzFeed.

Ms Orsto was 16 when she started to publicly live as a woman but said it only took place after a long fight for acceptance within the Indigenous community - one that has strong traditional views toward gender roles that are religiously grounded.

Isolation was an issue for Ms Orsto until she met an older Yimpininni who became her mentor by offering guidance and direction.

'There were plenty of Sistergirls back then; I used to go out with them and talk about things, like how to act like girls you know and be ladylike,' she said.
'One lady, I use to call her Mum, she was like a mother to me, and she told me: ''You just have to be who you want to be, baby, just like me. I'm always here for you, you got me here".'

Her mentor sadly ended up taking her own life leaving Ms Osrto feeling depressed and contemplating suicide. But Ms Orsto decided to face her fears and is now a respected mentor to younger Sistergirls in the community.

Crystal

Crystal Love, who is also known as Crystal Johnson Kerinaiua, is another Sistergirl fighting for the acceptance of all Yimpininni and Sistergirls.
She travels around Australia as a performer and also educates crowds about the issues facing the homosexual, bisexual and transgender community.

'It doesn't matter if nobody else wants you. If nobody else wants you, then you are mine. I teach people about being themselves,' Ms Love told Samesame.  

While the Sistergirls are largely accepted in the remote community, there are still many instances of serious abuse including domestic violence and rape.