MAYA - HER SUCCESS STORY

Maya is a Tunisian trans woman, and member of Trans Asylias family, who received her asylum in France in April 2023.

Maya’s life in Tunisia was filled with pain; all her life she has faced harassment and persecution from the family and the government. At 17, she found herself sleeping on the streets and engaging in sex work for money, ultimately thrown into jail for being gay.

As many trans and queer people experience while incarcerated, Maya faced constant sexual abuse by men. After her release from jail, extremists broke into her home and stabbed her, forcing her to flee in the night. 

After a year in Lesbos refugee camp in Greece, Maya learned that there was no safety for her there, between discrimination from cisgender Arab refugees and racist violence from the local Greek population. Maya was desperate until she found Charli, a member of FLIRT, a trans collective in Paris, who connected her with Iman and Jean-Manuel to escape to France. Thanks to community support, Trans Asylias paid her living expenses for 18 months until we could relocate her safely to France. Once Maya renewed her residency, we flew her to Paris and connected with FLIRT and Acceptess to provide the support she needs.

2 years later, we are thrilled that Maya has been granted asylum in France where will receive permanent residency and continue to pursue her career as an artist.