When Chris Brönimann became Nadia just before the turn of the millennium, the whole of Switzerland watched in fascination. Now, the country’s most famous transgender figure is publicly grappling with regret over that choice. This is not a story of redemption, but a post-woke plea. The text message confirming our meeting is signed Chris/Nadia. It’s a late summer’s day, the air is crisp and clean over Lake Zurich in the small town of Lachen. The café on the promenade where Chris/Nadia Brönimann works part-time is quiet, just like the life of the one-time most famous transgender woman in Switzerland. It’s quiet, at least for now. It has been only a few days since Brönimann renounced her transition, a decision that was splashed across Swiss media and flooded Instagram with messages of both hate and support. In Switzerland, transsexuality is as polarising as it is in other Western societies. It is often referred to as “gender dysphoria”, when a person does not identify with the gender ...
