Ananya Mishra

Embracing Authenticity

Italy is not as accepting of the LGBTQ+ community compared to other Western European nations. 

TO Housing, an Italian LGBTQ+ social co-housing project, aims to empower its residents and provide a sense of stability.

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“I faced a lot of loneliness and prejudice...and it was painful,” says Emanuela Ingrassia, a 54-year-old transgender woman, “but it was always better than giving up my authenticity.” 

In 2023, Emanuela became the first transgender person in Italy to legally change their name without undergoing gender reassignment surgery or hormone therapy. “My introspective nature has helped me understand who I am. I have an inner femininity that coexists with my male physicality,” she says. After a difficult upbringing in Sicily, Emanuela now resides in the city of Turin within an LGBTQ+ social co-housing project called TO Housing.

A 2019 study by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) revealed that 1 in 5 LGBTQ+ individuals in the EU have slept in a place that was not intended to be a permanent home. These individuals tend to avoid traditional homeless shelters due to the fear of violence or discrimination from other guests or staff members. TO Housing was created by the Quore Association to address these problems.

“Our goal is to empower them and help them become autonomous,” says Silvia Magino, co-founder of the Quore Association. In addition to free housing, all of the residents receive donated food, therapy, and career counseling on a weekly basis. Once they are confident enough to live on their own, they move out.

TO Housing consists of several apartment units situated within a low-income housing block near the Vanchiglia neighborhood in Turin. Four people are assigned to a two-bedroom, one-bathroom unit. Emanuela shares her bedroom with another transgender woman. She also lives with a gay South Asian refugee and a transgender man named Andres.

Andres, who asked not to use his last name, is 32 years old and has been taking testosterone for the past six years. He was born in São Paulo, Brazil, and was adopted by Italian parents at the age of seven. When a doctor had an available appointment for a gender-affirming chest reconstruction surgery, Andres moved to the city from his small town. Turin is also one of the more socially progressive cities in Italy.

“There is a perception that transgender people are pessimistic and self-destructive. My path, however, has been quite peaceful, despite the difficulties that I have encountered. Observing nature and animals has helped me in preserving my peace of mind,” says Andres. When his insecurities arise, he is able to maintain a positive mindset by acknowledging that his feelings are a normal part of life.

Emanuela and Andres have contrasting personalities and are further separated by a generation gap. They are, however, alike in their desire for a stable future. Both are working at temporary jobs in the service industry until they find something more permanent. Emanuela is interested in social work, while Andres aspires to become a full-time tattoo artist.

For TO Housing residents, self-acceptance is a crucial first step on their path to independence.