LGBTQ South Florida

A transgender Cuban woman who suffered abuse in prison vows never to return to the island

Ana Marrero, a transgender woman, says she was repeatedly thrown in prison in Cuba for wearing makeup and women's clothing.
Ana Marrero, a transgender woman, says she was repeatedly thrown in prison in Cuba for wearing makeup and women's clothing. WLRN

Ana Marrero pulls back her shirt sleeve and holds out her left arm.

“Look, in Cuban prisons I tried on various occasions to kill myself with knives,” she says.

She counts the succession of healed scars on her forearm. They look like horizontal tally marks.

“Uno, dos, tres, quarto, cinco, seis, siete, ocho.”

Eight times.

I suffered too much trauma in Cuba. It would cause me too much panic to return there. I wouldn't go back even for a short visit.

Ana Marrero

transgender woman

These days, it’s a lot easier to travel between the U.S. and Cuba, but some Cubans have no interest in going back to their homeland.

Read this article in WLRN

This story was originally published January 5, 2016 at 2:58 PM with the headline "A transgender Cuban woman who suffered abuse in prison vows never to return to the island."

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