But the model hasn’t always experienced the kind of acceptance and praise that she’s garnering now. In an essay written by Sampaio for the issue, she shared her story of being born in a remote fishing village in Brazil, where trans people are subject to the world’s highest rate of violent crimes and murders — “three times that of the U.S.” “Being trans usually means facing closed doors to peoples’ hearts and minds,” she wrote. “We face snickers, insults, fearful reactions and physical violations just for existing.”