“Leny told me about how, in Italy, she had experienced a lot of judgement and closed-mindedness,” says Knox. “I sympathized. When I was 14, a rumor went around my Catholic high school that I was a lesbian, alienating me from everyone but a small group of my classmates. Later, I became an LGBTQ ally and helped found the Gay-Straight Alliance at my high school.”
She continues, “When I told her that, Leny grinned ear-to-ear. Afterwards, she scampered, puppy-like, alongside me as I paced the exercise yard – the next day, and the day after that, and eventually every day.”
Knox explains that she and Leny developed an “almost” friendship over the weeks that followed, as other inmates wanted little to do with “the famous one.” Knox writes that she had regular mail and family visits – in stark contrast to other inmates, who were utterly alone during their incarceration and craved “human contact.”
“At least initially, Leny might not have been trying to seduce me, and was actually just in need of someone kind to distract her from her loneliness,” she writes. “This is common. Contrary to what you might guess, many prison relationships aren’t about sex — just like most relationships outside of prison.”
Over time, Leny began wanting more than just friendship, Knox says. At first, she wanted to hold hands, and told Knox, ” ‘I’ve changed women before.’ ” Finally, one day, Leny kissed Knox.