Maria transitioned to Tito Anibal da Paixao Gomes.He had a general’s uniform made by a tailor for carnival in 1974. He gave out that he was a real general, and was occasionally seen in uniform. He also gave out that he was a lawyer and an employee at the US embassy.
A nurse, Joaqina Costa, shared his house his house for 15 years. Using this authority, he persuaded neighbours to trust him with their investments.
In 1992 he was arrested for fraud and his original gender was revealed. However he presented as male at his trial. Costa testified that she had never doubted that he was a man. Other witnesses still addressed him as ‘general’.
He was given a suspended three-year sentence. He retreated to a remote village and lived in poverty until his death.
- Giles Tremlett. “Portugal's cross-dressing 'general' dies after 20 years as a man”. The Guardian. 19 July 2007. www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/jul/19/gilestremlett.
- Miguel Mora. “La Generala no tiene quien la entierre : La portuguesa que simuló ser militar durante 20 años muere en la soledad’. El Pais. 19/07/2007. www.elpais.com/articulo/ultima/Generala/tiene/quien/entierre/elpepuint/20070719elpepiult_1/Tes.
- “Maria Teresinha Gomes”. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Teresinha_Gomes.
Tito Gomes is in both the English and Spanish Wikipedias under his pre-transition name. This is also true of Charlotte Bach. For whatever reason there is no entry in the Portuguese Wikipedia under either of Gomes' name.
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