The unusual life of a Dominican Nun-Man named Frank Tavares is unarguably the most harmless yet weirdest story of anyone living with a secret identity. He lived as a nun, preached like one, and fooled the Church itself for 22 years.
After losing both his parents to a fatal car accident, a four-year-old Tavares was sent to the care of nuns at a convent in Santo Domingo by his poor grandparents. There, he was raised as a girl, since he allegedly had genitals so small that they were unnoticeable. Tavares, too, believed himself to be a girl, and began wearing girls’ clothes, adopted the habits of the nuns, and became engaged in the daily activities of the convent.
It wasn’t until the age of seven, after he underwent a full-body health exam, that doctors broke to him that he was a boy. But Tavares did not want to turn his life at the convent upside down. He feared being cast out of the convent and decided to continue living like a girl. The boy then came up with a near-perfect plan to conceal his true identity.
“I never bathed or undressed in front of them. I would go for a quick dip, wear boxer-style panties, fake my period, and wear oversized dresses,” he recalled. (via Oddity Central)
Tavares lived as Sister Maria Margarita for 22 years
Tavares had adopted a fake nun identity as “Sister Maria Margarita” and blended seamlessly into the convent. He gained the trust of priests and sisters alike, led prayers, organized charity drives, and even advised younger nuns. No one thought to question him. But as the young boy grew up, he began feeling attracted to the young nuns at the convent.
In a move that marked the beginning of his fake identity’s crackdown, the now-grown-up Tavares left a fellow nun pregnant at the convent. To avoid getting exposed, he vanished and transferred to another convent immediately. But as fate had it, Tavares gave in to his temptation again and got a nun named Silvia pregnant at his new convent, too. Silvia confessed her love for Tavares and suggested leaving the convent together to raise a family.
His letter to nun Silvia exposed the Nun-Man’s true identity
Yet, in his dilemma of leaving behind the life of a nun, which gave him everything he’s thankful for, Tavares refused Silvia’s offer. But his cover of 22 years finally blew in 1979, when one of the teachers at the convent discovered a letter between the two. Tavares’ biological gender was then exposed, and he was asked to leave the convent. But this time, he decided to embrace his real self.
Tavares is now 73 years old and works as a tailor, having acquired the skills at the convent. Surprisingly, he still regards Silvia as the love of his life, even though he never met the child he had with her. Reportedly, Silvia moved to the United States at some point, and there is no evidence of any contact between the two.
