cnn.com – By Erin McLaughlin, CNN
Rome, Italy (CNN) — Andrea Quintero was described by those who knew her as a gentle soul and a devout Catholic.
Transgendered and homeless, she left Colombia for Italy in search of a society that could accept her for who she was — a man who felt like a woman.
But in Rome it was no different. In fact it was worse. She said her paralyzed arm and prominent limp were evidence of the regular beatings she endured as a drifter at Rome’s main railway station. Despite the abuse, she hoped for better.