Collections by Michelle Brown WSG Marizol Leyva

Marizol was adopted and was raised in the Bronx. Growing up in a Cuban family she didn't know what transgender was. Especially in the Latin community, a boy is a boy and a girl is a girl. But ever since she was little, she felt like she was born in the wrong body. 

At 17 she told her older sister that she was transgender.

She didn't want to go through all the bullying, so she dropped out of high school in her junior year. Two months later, she began to dress as Marizol 24/7.

Today she is pursuing her dreams as a transgender Latina model, cook and activist. She recently co-authored the book “My Sister: How One Sibling's Transition Changed Us Both” with her sister Selenis Leyva.

Selenis stars as Gloria Mendoza on NETFLIX’s hit series Orange Is the New Black. The two were awarded Stonewall Community Foundation’s 2016 Vision Award for inspiring visibility, advocacy and outspoken support for the transgender community.