Sosa interviewed Hanna in front of an audience about a series of topics, including being a transgender in Israel, the middle east, family, legal rights and what she hopes to do with her position and voice. (Photo by Jose Cassola / South Florida Gay News) The event, named “Coffee with Miss Trans Israel,” was held at the Betsy Hotel in South Beach.Īttendees of the Translatina Coalition and SAVE Art Runway Transgender Day of Remembrance on Friday, Nov. She also met with volunteers and members of Survivors’ Pathway Organization’s Trans Latina project and took part in a Q&A session with Herb Sosa, CEO of Unity Coalition, and Ariel Roman-Harris, director of Media & Cultural Affairs at the Israeli Consulate in Miami. 17, Abu Hanna presented an award to Morgan Mayfaire, president of Trans Social. They cannot do their transition, cannot live their life and feel at home.”Īt the Translatina Coalition and SAVE Art Runway Transgender Day of Remembrance on Friday, Nov.
“I have a lot of friends from the Middle East, like Dubai and Syria, who cannot say the same. “I found another place in Israel like Tel Aviv that really accepts me and supports me and gave me the peace within my body and soul to make my transition and still live in Israel,” Abu Hanna said. Her family doesn’t accept her but she found solace elsewhere in Israel. I hope there is change in the world and people start accepting transgender people all over.”Ību Hanna said she is from Israel and lived in Nazareth. It’s beautiful sometimes to be different. “I’m here to tell the people we can live together in peace and we can be different. To be a boy living in Israel with a large Arab family and to do my transition was so hard,” Abu Hanna said. (Photo courtesy of Ariel Roman Harris / Israeli Consulate in Miami)Ību Hanna said she has a message for the LGBTQ community, particularly transgenders: stay strong and don’t lose hope. Newly elected Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, Miss Trans Israel Talleen Abu Hanna and Ariel Roman-Harris, director of Media & Cultural Affairs at the Israeli Consulate in Miami. David Richardson Miami-Dade County Commissioner Rebeca Sosa newly elected City of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and Miami Beach Commissioners John Elizabeth Aleman and Michael Góngora, who is openly gay and was recently reelected for a third term. Congresswomen Ileana Ros-Lehtinen openly gay State Rep. Abu Hanna also met with many leaders, including the offices of U.S.
(Photo by Jose Cassola / South Florida Gay News)īy Jose Abu Hanna, the reigning Miss Trans Israel and runner-up in the 2016 Miss Trans Star Internacional beauty pageant, visited Miami last week, speaking at several college campuses and other venues to bring awareness to transgender issues and honor trans victims of violence.Ību Hanna had a long itinerary of events, participating in lectures with students and faculty at the University of Miami’s LGBTQ Student Center Florida International University’s Center for Women’s & Gender Studies and Miami Dade College North Campus, where she met with sociology and psychology professors. Talleen Abu Hanna spoke of transgender issues, helped honor trans victims of violenceĭrag queen Justice Divine, Miss Trans Israel Talleen Abu Hanna and Arianna Lint, founder of Arianna’s Center.