WORLD
The nanny has given up her feminine identity and is living a life of suffering and fear in a Jakarta slum.
Barack Obama’s former nanny, who is a gay transgender man, has given up her feminine identity and is living a life of suffering and fear in Jakarta slum.
‘Evie’ cared for the boy she called Barry when his mother Ann Dunham moved to the Indonesian capital of Jakarta in the late 1960s.
Openly gay, she would leave the house dressed in full drag, but was very careful that Barack never saw her.
“He was so young and I never let him see me wearing women’s clothes,” the Daily Mail quoted Evie as saying.
“But he did see me trying on his mother’s lipstick, sometimes. That used to really crack him up,” she revealed.
The turning point in her life came in 1985 when during a raid she found a transgender friend’s bloated body floating in a backed-up sewage canal.
She grabbed all her girlie clothes in her arms and stuffed them into two big boxes.
Half-used lipstick, powder, eye makeup - she gave them all away.
“I knew in my heart I was a woman, but I didn’t want to die like that,” says Evie, now 66, her lips trembling slightly as the memories flood back.
“So I decided to just accept it. I’ve been living like this, a man, ever since.”
Several longtime residents of Obama’s old Menteng neighbourhood confirmed Turdi had worked there as Barack’s nanny for two years, also caring for his baby sister Maya.
Evie, who like many Indonesians goes by a single name, now lives in a closet-sized hovel in a tightly packed slum in an eastern corner of Jakarta, collecting and scrubbing dirty laundry to pay for food.
She wears baggy blue jeans and a white T-shirt speaks softly, politely, and a deep worry line is etched between her eyes.
As a child, Evie was often beaten by a father who could not stand having such a ‘sissy’ for a son.
“He wanted me to act like a boy, even though I didn’t feel it in my soul,” she confessed.
Teased and bullied, she dropped out of school after the third grade and decided to learn how to cook.
She made her way into the kitchens of several high-ranking officials by the time she was a teenager.
And then she met Obama’s mother. Evie now seeks solace in religion, going regularly to the mosque and praying five times a day.
She said she is just waiting to die.
She added that she did not know the boy she helped raise won the 2008 US presidential election until she saw a picture of the family in local newspapers and on TV. She blurted out that she knew him.
Her friends had at first laughed and thought she was crazy, but those who live in the family’s old neighbourhood confirmed it is true.
“Many neighbours would remember Turdi. She was popular here at that time,” Rudy Yara, who still lives across the street from Obama’s former house, said.
“She was a nice person and was always patient and caring in keeping young Barry,” Yara said.
Evie hopes her former charge will use his power to fight for people like her.
Obama named Amanda Simpson, the first openly transgender appointee, as a senior technical adviser in the Commerce Department in 2010.
For Evie, who’s now just trying to earn enough to survive each day on Jakarta’s streets, the election victory itself was enough to give her a reason - for the first time in a long time - to feel proud.
“Now when people call me scum, ‘I can just say: ‘But I was the nanny for the President of the United States!” she said.
Lawrence Bishnoi gang member arrested for ‘plotting to kill’ Salman Khan
‘We faced a…’: Ratan Tata on his parents' divorce, grandmother's support and breakup
Baba Siddique killed ‘because of’ Salman Khan? Salim Khan breaks his silence
Drone from Lebanon targets Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's home days after Hamas chief's killing
When angry Sunny Deol allegedly tried to stab Hema Malini with KNIFE for marrying Dharmendra
'Not all that is hidden...': Son Zeeshan shares cryptic post after Baba Siddique's murder
Good news for Mukesh Ambani as Jio Financial earns huge profit of Rs….
Karwa Chauth Sargi Time 2024: Auspicious time, significance, history of festival
Elon Musk is offering up to Rs 5,000 per hour for THIS job, it is...
Spooky space! NASA reveals formation of human face on Mars
'Mind blowing': Sibling duo's cover of 'Tum jo aaye' leaves netizens spellbound, WATCH viral video
Delhi-NCR's air quality turns 'very poor', situation likely to worsen till...
This college offers placements worth Rs 6500000 to graduates, is listed among top...
Vistara's Delhi-London flight diverted to Frankfurt after bomb threat
Mohammad Rizwan set to replace Babar Azam as Pakistan's ODI and T20I captain
Viral video: Little girl's adorable dance to 'Aayi Nai' impresses internet, watch
Gujarat: Vadodara man performs CPR to save snake's life, netizens say, 'Barodians can do anything'
Mukesh Ambani's brand forces Tata Group company to reduce its product price, revenue hit by...
DNA TV Show: Mumbai Police receives threat message seeking Rs 5 crore from Salman Khan
Shraddha Kapoor breaks silence over credit battle for Stree 2's success: 'I believe it was...'
Who is IAS Sanjeev Hans, arrested by ED in money laundering case?
Gautam Adani donates Rs 1000000000 to THIS Indian state for...
Mukesh Ambani's Jio Financial Services' profit rises by 3%, company earns Rs 6890000000 in...
Virat Kohli completes 9000 Test runs - Is he the fastest Indian to achieve this feat?
Karwa Chauth 2024: Check muhurat, moonrise timing in Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow, Patna other cities here
Salman Khan to import bulletproof SUV from Dubai after threats from gangster Lawrence Bishnoi
Apple's HR head resigns in less than 2 years marking another high-level departure under Tim Cook
60 guards and no one can leave the sets before it is over: How Salman Khan shoots for Bigg Boss 18
Karan Johar, Akshay Kumar join hands for a film inspired by…
Suresh Mansharmani - The Father of OKR is transforming SMEs of India
Meet world's 10 most beautiful women, including an Indian, not Aishwarya Rai, Alia Bhatt
Apple iPhone 16 under Rs 70000? THIS company is offering flat Rs 10000 discount, check details
Meet Bollywood actress who graduated from Harvard, wrote children’s books, did nude scenes in…
IND vs NZ, 1st Test: Virat Kohli falls on final ball of Day 3, India trail New Zealand by 125 runs
Pro Kabaddi League 2024 Live Streaming: When and where to watch PKL season 11 live on TV and online
Karwa Chauth 2024 Sargi timing: What you must include in your sargi thali?
SAT stays Rs 250000000 Sebi fine on Anil Ambani with one condition, asks him to...
Man was crossing railway track with phone glued to his face, watch video to know what happened next
Pioneering Business Intelligence at Cisco: The Visionary Leadership of Sagar Shukla
AAP leader Satyendar Jain walks out of jail, says, 'We will continue...'
Driving Innovation: Aravind Reddy Nayani's breakthrough in electric vehicle technology
From legacy systems to advanced analytics: The evolution of Devidas Kanchetti
Who is IPS Bhagyashree Navtake, Maharashtra cadre officer booked by CBI in Rs 1200 crore scam probe?
Meet IIT-JEE topper with 339 marks in JEE Advanced, went to IIT Bombay with AIR 1, now working as...
Virat Kohli's decision to not celebrate Rachin Ravindra's wicket sparks debate, know what happened
Watch: Radhika Merchant stuns in Rohit Bal lehenga at friend's wedding, dances to 'Sajna Ve Sajna'
PAK vs ENG: Pakistan beat England by 152 runs, register 1st Test win at home after 1348 days
Excel in finance and SAP integration-mastering an extraordinary journey of Dignesh Khatri
Revolutionizing Ad Technology: Arth Dave’s Leadership in Machine Learning-Driven Ad Recommendations
Redefining In-Store Shopping Experience: Krishnateja Shiva's impact on retail innovation
Vijay Bhaskar Kamireddy: Revolutionising machine learning with innovation and expertise
PM Modi to visit Russia next week to attend BRICS Summit in Kazan
Good news for Indian travellers as THIS country is now offering visa-on-arrival, check details
IPL 2025: 3 reasons why RCB might go in bidding war for New Zealand batter Rachin Ravindra
Key skills for successful web development career
6 important things to keep in mind before taking loan
Good news for Sadhguru as SC dismisses plea against Isha Foundation
Mukesh Ambani’s dream comes true as Reliance Jio beats Airtel, BSNL in...
Kunal Kamra reignites debate with Bhavish Aggarwal, says, 'Ola Electric hasn’t...'