Sex Change Assignment

This was one of the more interesting/strange assignments I have had. Born as a male, abnormal chromosomes caused Liu Changfu to take on female characteristics. Unable to deal with it, he/she underwent surgery to fully become a woman. Apparently it was a hot story in the Chinese media at the time because there were tons of press. I along with this media circus accompanied Liu on her 1st public appearance since the transformation, which basically consisted of walking the streets and browsing through stores. We took a million photos, interviewed pedestrians, and generally created a spectacle on the street. (See all the people staring in my front page image) Liu was quite cool with the whole process. But I can't imagine why she decided to undergo the sex change. Previously, he had a wife and an adopted child. Now she is divorced and without a family. But then again, I can't even begin to imagine what was going through his/her mind. Here's an article in the Daily, and here's a photo gallery of the assignment.