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Identities

Here's the Story of How a Trans Woman & Her Prison Mate Fell in Love

"I saw Monae at her lowest, Monae saw me at my lowest. I saw her at her happiest, she’s seen me at my happiest."

Raffy Ermac

Digital Director, Out.com

Raffy is a Los Angeles-based writer, editor, video creator, critic, and digital director of Out Magazine. The former editor-in-chief of PRIDE, he is also a die-hard Rihanna and Sailor Moon stan who loves to write about all things pop culture, entertainment, and identities. Follow him on Instagram (@raffyermac) and Twitter (@byraffy), and subscribe to his YouTube channel.

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Raffy Ermac

byraffy

April 15 2020 2:08 PM EST

December 09 2022 9:12 AM EST

Meet Monae and Adriel, a wife and husband duo that met, fell in love, and got married while both were serving time at a Pennsylvania prison.

\u201cAdriel and Monae Alvarado fell in love while they were both in prison in Pennsylvania. \n\nhttps://t.co/5Ezzjtbcvg\n\n#TransLove #GirlsLikeUs \ud83d\udc95\ud83d\udc99\u201d
— BlackTransFutures (@BlackTransFutures) 1586218845

In an emotional new mini-doc from the UK's Metro, Monae and Adriel share the unconventional love story of how they met, including the reasoning why Monae was placed into a men's prison in the first place and how Adriel's family reacted to him falling in love with a trans woman.

According to Instinct, the two first met in the prison's laundry room, and after getting to know each other and go on dates, the two married shortly after Monae's release from the prison three years ago.

Though they both admit times have been tough since they exchanged their vows (no one from Adriel's family showed up to their ceremony), they are both incredibly optimistic about their future together as a married couple now that Adriel has also been released from prison.

"I saw Monae at her lowest, Monae saw me at my lowest," Adriel said of his relationship with his wife. "I saw her at her happiest, she’s seen me at my happiest."

"Our memories were in prison and we never were able to make memories out here," Monae said. "Now it’s about to happen it’s like it’s going to be like the first time for everything for us, it’s like starting new again."