Letter to Dr. Stefano Folli – Director of Corriere della Sera
Milan, 11.14.2003
Article "They Killed for a PlayStation, Caught" by Alberto Berticelli – CdS Milan – November 14, 2003 – page 53
Dear Director,
I read with extreme disappointment in the article cited in question the sentence "...having matured in the squalid world of gays and casual friendships...".
‘It is absolutely incomprehensible and unacceptable that an authoritative newspaper such as the Corriere still uses this kind of statement, which was thought to be relegated to a distant and unfortunate memory.
‘The use of terms like "world," as if we were aliens from another planet, and even worse, the "squalid" judgment towards a community of people who live, work, and love like anyone else, is highly offensive, counter-educational, and a harbinger of countless misunderstandings that are then at the root of many forms of discrimination and persecution.
Violence and crime within the gay community are certainly no greater than those in the general population; in fact, news reports would seem to demonstrate the exact opposite. Trying to establish a connection between the two is completely wrong and inappropriate.
This is even more surprising in relation to the series of articles that in the recent past, again in the Corriere, have presented homosexual people and their problems in a correct light.
I'd like to assume that Mr. Berticelli's article, which demonstrates a fair amount of ignorance and superficiality on the subject, escaped the editorial and management's scrutiny by chance. However, I ask you to intervene with the author and the editorial staff to prevent such unfortunate incidents from happening again in the future. We also offer our full availability to organize refresher courses on the subject for anyone on the editorial staff who needs them, especially Mr. Berticelli.
Best regards.
Paul Ferigo
President
CIG Gay Initiative Center – ARCIGAY Milan
Via Bezzecca, 3 – 20135 Milan Mi
T.02.54.12.22.25 – F. 02.54.12.22.26
www.arcigaymilano.org – [email protected]
Anyone wishing to express their personal dissatisfaction can send an email to the following addresses:
[email protected] – [email protected]