A book, her third, still for women. Against violence. "It's not normal", is the title in which Cathy La Torre explains all types of violence and how to confront them. She founded and directs the legal firm Wildside Human First. On Instagram, where she is Avvocathy, she has a community of almost 900 thousand followers. The first to receive a copy was Pope Francis. She is secular - she told Corriere della Sera - but this does not matter. "Violence should never be downplayed and I would like to start a journey within the churches where priests, nuns, parishioners are trained on the issue of violence. They would thus be able to intercept it and direct the victims to local anti-violence centers".
The church
"I approached Catholic and Christian humanity thanks to Cardinal Zuppi". With him she spoke of poverty. "I was dealing with Casa Caterina, the first protected house in Europe for transgender refugees and asylum seekers. I told him that poverty is poverty, no matter who. He agreed with me. We rented from Caritas. He was made a cardinal on my birthday and we always celebrate this. I also introduced Michela to him". She and Murgia were very close she still tells Corriere della Sera. "Every time we passed in front of the parish of Santa Maria in Trastevere where he had been a parish priest, we took a selfie and sent it to him. Michela was an irreplaceable pillar. I have thousands of night messages with her, we struggled to sleep. In the last period, it kept me awake to think of her awake in her illness. I didn't want to leave her alone".
The mourning
A year ago, Cathy La Torre's brother-in-law, Gregory Bongiorno, passed away. An immense pain. "The geography of my life has changed. Before I used to go home two/three times a year. Today I have become an intentional parent of my 16 and 12 year old nephews". One day she might adopt them now in the meantime they are teaching her a lot. "The jargon they use on social media, for example, they talk through their status. They use only ephemeral messages because they don't want their stuff to be screenshotted and spread. Cecilia, a friend of my niece, gave me the most beautiful compliment: "Aunt Cathy - I am Aunt Cathy for everyone - you talk like a fifteen-year-old".
The treatment and the operation
Meanwhile Cathy, still tells Corsera, continues with her treatments. "I have been in therapy for twenty years. And I have never hidden that I take psychotropic drugs, antidepressants and anxiolytics. In 2018 I was a victim of cyberstalking, with daily death threats for 71 days. It was impactful for my mental health. I consider myself privileged to have the money to be able to take care of my mental health while millions of people cannot afford it. It should be a political battle".
Then she talks about her body: "My body with a large breast caused me a great discomfort compared to the perception I have of my gender and of me. I decided to reduce it". A decision that turned her life around. "It was like taking a 40 kilo weight off my heart. I proudly carry the scars. There is prejudice about cosmetic surgery as if it were not necessary, when, if aimed at psychophysical well-being, it can be essential. I did not expect to be insulted so much for choosing to have surgery. Little is tolerated who decides on their own body. On this reduction of my breasts, they have told me all sorts of things. But they are my breasts and I do what I want with them. Then, whoever wants to talk about it, just do it".
Her love story has also ended. "Maybe my ex-girlfriend wanted a more present person. I instead live in three cities: Milan, Bologna, Rome. I am often in Sicily. The important thing is that my queer family, my friends and my original family, love each other".
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