Topics: Health, Sex and Relationships
A conjoined twin has explained what happens during his sister's intimate moments with her boyfriends.
Lori and George Schappell - who live separate lives despite being joined at the head - are the oldest living conjoined twins in the world.
George - who was born Dori - transitioned and started living as a man by 2007, which made him and his sister the first same-sex conjoined twins to identify as different genders.
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The twins were born sharing 30 percent of their frontal lobe brain tissue and critical blood tissue. Despite being connected physically, the twins lead separate lives and identify as individuals and have separate romantic experiences.
Lori has had boyfriends in the past and she and George found a way for her to date while George was occupied on other matters.
“I lost my virginity at the age of 23 to my second boyfriend,” she told The Sun.
Because of where the 61-year-old twins are conjoined, George didn’t have to see anything he didn’t want to during his sister’s intimate moments with her partners. She explained: “When I went on dates, George would bring along books to read and, as we don’t face each other, he could ignore any kissing. I don’t see why being a conjoined twin should stop me having a love life and feeling like a woman.”
In 2006, Loris was engaged however four months before the couple were due to tie the knot, her fiancé was killed by a drunk driver
“It was devastating and my heart is broken,” Lori said.
“I am still in contact with his family and have only recently started dating again.
“George looked after me. If it wasn’t for him, I don’t know if I could have lived through the heartbreak.”
During a documentary interview for Our Life in 1997, Lori expressed her desire to have children. “I would love to have myself a family – a husband and children of mine.”
George – who had changed his name to Reba by the ‘90s because the twins hated having names that rhymed – said he would be happy for his sister to get married.
“Well, he [Lori’s future husband] would be like a brother-in-law to me that is is it. They can do whatever they do and I’ll act like I’m not even there. I would block out."
Lori then admitted to film-maker Antony Thomas, who interviewed the twins for the broadcast, that she was not a virgin.
The twins, who are joined at the head, were born on 18 September 1961, and stunned doctors by making it past double their life expectancy when they reached 61 years old.
Lori revealed to The Sun: "When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong."
Lori went on to become a champion ten-pin bowler and George performing as a country singe
