Much of the work I have been drawn to has involved issues of social justice: prosecuting domestic violence, advocating for children who have experienced sexual and physical abuse, marriage equality, working on legal issues impacting our transgendered community or the complexities of mass incarceration.
Most who know me have come to understand that my passion for social justice came from my father. To the eight of us who called him ‘dad’, he was larger than life. A man who, at an early age, came to the United States from Italy and went on to achieve and live the American Dream. And with all of his achievements, he chose and remained working as what one might describe as a “community lawyer” and a public servant. As a kid, I remember that he kept a small office in our house in the Silverlake section of Providence and he would often meet with neighbors – – most who spoken in broken English – – who needed his help. When times were tough those neighbors paid with what little they had, sometimes pepper biscuits and eggs.
And it was from him that I learned that the small acts — helping a neighbor buy a new home or who was out of a job — were as important if not more so – – than the bigger acts that might perhaps gain more attention.
So, it was ‘pepper biscuits and eggs’ that came back to me, when:
- I accepted the pro bono referral to help the transgendered college student, who just wanted to change his first name to something more gender-neutral, return to court after a judge made his initial, pro se, petition contingent on his first having ‘top surgery’. Keep in mind that an NBA star can easily change his name to ‘Metta World Peace’ without first achieving world peace and yet a different standard was being set for this person because of who he was.
- I helped a divorced mother navigate the family court to challenge her ex-husband’s refusal to consent to clinically appropriate and medically necessary hormone therapy for her transgender teenage son critical to address his gender dysphoria, a serious medical condition. Her child had been hospitalized time and again and she just wanted him to stop hurting himself and feel whole with who he was inside.
- In our first year together – – 12 years ago – – my (now) wife, Maria, and I began attending community meetings for marriage equality and committed ourselves to testifying and lobbying (year after year) until it became law.
- I made the exciting decision to run for public office and challenge the status quo.
I know from these and other experiences that marginalized groups too often get left out. So, I believe it is incumbent on each of us to do our small part, and it has been my honor to do mine.
Laura Ann Pisaturo has been a committed advocate for equal rights and a number of social justice issues impacting women, children and the LGBT community. She graduated cum laude from Suffolk University Law School and University of Rhode Island. Pisaturo has dedicated a large portion of her career to public service, working in both public and private sectors and holding legal position with Providence office of Hinckley, Allen & Snyder, LLP, Rhode Island Department of Attorney General, Day One, her own private practice and as chairperson of the Rhode Island Parole Board. She has taught as an adjunct professor at Salve Regina University and University of Rhode Island. Pisaturo was instrumental in the win for marriage equality in Rhode Island. She is actively engaged in the Rhode Island Bar Association and has served with distinction on Rhode Island Supreme Court Attorney Disciplinary Board as well as the City of Warwick Planning Board.
photo by Agapao Productions
