Transgender In Kenya | Tobin Jones Photography | Nairobi, Kenya
Transgender In Kenya | Tobin Jones Photography | Nairobi, Kenya
Transgender In Kenya | Tobin Jones Photography | Nairobi, Kenya
Transgender In Kenya | Tobin Jones Photography | Nairobi, Kenya

Morine applies hair removal cream to her face as part of her morning routine before getting ready to head to work. Keeping up appearances is a constant battle for Morine and just one of the ways in which she has to do this is by using hair removal cream, which she applies regularly to keep her skin smooth.

Transgender In Kenya | Tobin Jones Photography | Nairobi, Kenya
Transgender In Kenya | Tobin Jones Photography | Nairobi, Kenya

Morine’s two sides, the male one she was born with and the female one that she now identifies with, are reflected in a mirror. While Morine identifies with being female, she must constantly battle with the male physical side of her, which despite her efforts to hide it, does occasionally make an appearance.

Transgender In Kenya | Tobin Jones Photography | Nairobi, Kenya
Transgender In Kenya | Tobin Jones Photography | Nairobi, Kenya

Morine holds her Kenyan ID card in her hand with her original name at birth still used to identify her. While Morine identifies herself as a female, transgenders are not yet recognized by the Kenyan government and therefore it will likely be some time before Morine is able to be legally recognized as a transgender.

Transgender In Kenya | Tobin Jones Photography | Nairobi, Kenya
Transgender In Kenya | Tobin Jones Photography | Nairobi, Kenya

A client catches up with Morine while having her hair curled during a regular morning in the hair salon. With a growing reputation in Nairobi, for her hairdressing skills, women from all over the city now come to Morine’s salon to have their hair done.

Transgender In Kenya | Tobin Jones Photography | Nairobi, Kenya
Transgender In Kenya | Tobin Jones Photography | Nairobi, Kenya

Morine and a fellow hairdresser cut hair at their salon.

Transgender In Kenya | Tobin Jones Photography | Nairobi, Kenya
Transgender In Kenya | Tobin Jones Photography | Nairobi, Kenya

Morine, standing outside of her hair salon, takes a short break before starting on another hair cut.