Tina

A FALSE PROMISE

“I was abandoned as a baby in a rural orphanage in Brazil.

There were no hugs, no warmth—just discipline, chores, and silence. I wasn’t allowed to be the girl I knew I was. They made me feel wrong for simply existing. When I turned 18, I had to leave. My biological family tried to take me in, but once they saw who I really was, they pushed me away. I learned to survive alone, quietly, trying to find peace.

One day, a woman approached me. She was kind, caring, and everything I had never known. She gave me advice, clothes, attention.

Then she took me to a bombadeira who injected silicone into my body. She said it would help me look “better.” Then came the street. The truth.”

Scape and Rebirth

She wasn’t family—she was a trafficker. Later, she offered me a dream: Italy. A place where trans women are respected, where I could earn good money and finally be free—once I paid off my “debt.” I believed her.

Italy wasn’t a dream. It was more nights on the street, more fear, more violence. But I broke free. I asked for help. And someone listened. Thanks to a network of associations and professionals, I found safety. A home. Support for my health. I started studying again, working, rebuilding. I earned my school diploma. I began a new job. And finally—I was granted refugee status. I can’t return to Brazil, where trans women like me face constant violence. But here, I’ve found hope.

Still Fighting

I have documents now. I’m safe. I study. I work. But the pain doesn’t disappear.

In the city, men harass me—Italians, foreigners, doesn’t matter. I avoid going out.

My ID still says “M.” Every time I show it, I’m forced to explain who I am. My best friend is still working the street.

A year ago, none of this seemed possible. Today, it is. It’s not a happy ending—yet. But it’s mine.