In the end, he achieved his dream and his happiness. Riccardo Pusceddu, 27 years old from Fluminimaggiore, underwent surgery in the obstetrics and gynecology department of the Nostra Signora di Bonaria hospital in San Gavino Monreale, and said goodbye to his female body with the removal of his uterus: "This operation has written the history of trans people in Sardinia. It is the first total hysterectomy on a trans man that took place just a stone's throw from home, all without taking planes and going overseas as it used to happen before. I hope that this good news is a starting point for young people who, like me, have to face this operation."
The route
Riccardo never found himself in his female body and, after years of suffering, he started hormone therapy in November 2019: "I prefer not to disclose my previous name also for privacy reasons of an old life that is no longer mine. I had the registry correction in 2022 and with it the permission to be able to undergo the various operations including the mastectomy done two years ago and the total hysterectomy done in San Gavino Monreale. In Sardinia it was very difficult to find a hospital and above all doctors who would operate on me to remove my uterus and ovaries. I called various hospitals such as the Santissima Trinità in Cagliari, the polyclinic in Monserrato, the Sirai in Carbonia and the Cto in Igleias, but they all refused my request to do the operation. I had various hormonal problems, I couldn't keep my testosterone high because my ovaries converted it back into estrogen. Then my gynecologist Annarita Daga – she has been following me since 2019 – put me in touch with the head physician Antonio Campiglio, who agreed to operate on me. In addition to them, I have to thank all the gynecology staff at the San Gavino Monreale hospital: for me now a new life has begun».
The prejudices
Riccardo Pusceddu has been fighting them all his life but has never cried about it: «I am respected for who I am. I am a very outgoing person and I have always talked about my transition on social media. When it comes to rights, I always think about those who don't know and those who are against asking questions and talking to people like me so I can understand their reality. Let's hope that Italy changes in the area of recognizing these rights. There are cases that have caused discussion, like that of the Algerian boxer at the Olympics: I think she suffered an injustice and very serious discrimination and I hope she takes legal action against those who have sided against her. This boxer has an androgynous appearance but she is a woman».
The turning point
It arrived in 2017: «I always lived badly in what was my body, then I saw a video on YouTube and I was followed in Rome for hormone therapy. Two years ago I underwent a first operation in Florence. For now I feel good like this and I don't feel the need to put in the male reproductive system, the reproduction of the phallus hasn't evolved yet. I was admitted to surgery, but followed by gynecology. If they hadn't accepted my request I would have had to spend a lot of money to go out and also look for a companion. Sardinia is now giving this great opportunity to trans guys like me».
Operating room
The operation was coordinated by the head physician Antonio Campiglio: "The patient presented himself with a specific request and the documentation from the Court. After having asked for authorization from the Health Directorate, we proceeded to perform the operation laparoscopically also for aesthetic reasons. We do about 120 of them a year between benign and malignant pathologies. This operation requires general anesthesia and lasted about an hour."
Gigi Pittau
