To be a girl or not to be a girl: that is the question. Most who meet Valentina for the first time say, “What's up with this guy?” or “Come on, little fella!” They are always startled to discover that this 13-year-old, with short hair and boys' clothes, is really a girl.

A few weeks ago, we took Vali shopping for some new clothes and shoes. Although some girls can be very picky when it comes to shopping, Vali had only one condition: that we only buy her boys' clothes. We asked her, “Why don't you want to be a girl, Vali?” She defiantly replied, “I don't like being a girl. I want to be strong and learn how to beat up all the boys.”

At times, the little girl inside Valentina does appear. For instance, when the street children get their haircuts, the boys usually shave their heads. Vali – clinging to the femininity hidden within – just gets a trim. With her hair newly cut, Vali looks like a Huguenot from 16 th century France . You remember that the Huguenots fought to receive equal religious rights and freedoms; many gave their lives for their cause at the famous massacre of Saint Bartholomew. Akin to the Huguenots, Vali protests the humiliation and injustice done to her and screams out for her rights. But she too is massacred by older, bigger street boys who care more about getting what they can out of Vali than they do about assuring her rights. These street boys use Valentina to beg for them or to steal for them. The reward for this shame and abuse is protection from other perpetrators.

This cruel environment hardens Valentina, which furthers Vali's desire to conform to her image of strength: masculinity. But even with all her zeal to be a boy, Vali's feminine features betray her. Vali's fine complexion, her slender body, and her bitter frown reveal a broken feminine interior. She is insecure and in need of shelter and protection. She is hungry for love and attention. Can Vali's brokenness ever be repaired? Perhaps the answer for Valentina lies in the hopes of the 16 th century French Huguenots:

“Fear not, for you will not be put to shame;

Neither feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced;

But you will forget the shame of your youth.

For your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel,

Who is called the God of all the earth.

For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake,

But My lovingkindness will not be removed from you,

And My covenant of peace will not be shaken,”

says the Lord who has compassion on you.