From BergamoNews.it – June 27, 2008
Bergamo and gays, a documentary exposes all the prejudices
A short film thrown in people's faces, or rather, on the web, to challenge the prejudices of homophobic bigotry.
The trailer for "Homo Fobicus. Human Involution at the Dawn of the Third Millennium" has been online for a few days. It explores the attitude of the people of Bergamo toward the gay "planet." It reveals that in the shadow of the Walls, homosexuals are seen, at best, as aliens.
""The documentary is the continuation of a journey started more than a year ago together with Arcigay and Arcilesbica – explains Alessandro Esposito, coordinator of the Young Communists – The idea came to us after the City Council rejected the proposal for a civil union registry. A rejection that was accompanied by offensive tones in the chamber, as documented in the video.
However, prejudice lingers not only in the austere classrooms of Palafrizzoni, but apparently also on the streets. "We have created about fifty interviews in the center, on a Saturday afternoon – continues Esposito – The survey paints a discouraging picture, one of strong hostility towards the gay world. The people of Bergamo don't hide their annoyance even when addressing the issue of civil rights for same-sex couples.
The documentary will be officially presented in September. "Nicky Vendola and perhaps Vladimir Luxuria will also be there," Esposito concludes. These exceptional testimonials will attempt to break what remains a taboo in Bergamo.
From Corriere.it – June 27, 2008
The documentary about gays that sparks controversy in Bergamo
The trailer for "Homo Fobicus" is online, with harsh criticisms of homosexuality. The councilor: "It's not objective."«
BERGAMO – «"Homosexuality is a mental illness."» says a boy. A middle-aged man: "They disgust me." Or: "They should be ashamed." An older man: "These are all 'perversities.' If I may use that term...".
These and other comments from some Bergamo residents (including some with a Southern accent) can be heard in the short film "Homo Fobicus." Subtitle: «"Human Involution at the Dawn of the Third Millennium"». The trailer, which can be found online (on YouTube), explores attitudes toward the gay "planet." The website www.bergamonews.it writes: "The film shows that in the shadow of the Walls, homosexuals are seen as aliens" and represents a "challenge to the prejudices of Bergamo bigotry.".
THE IDEA – «The documentary is the continuation of a journey that began over a year ago together with Arcigay and Arcilesbica – explains Alessandro Esposito, coordinator of the Young Communists -. The idea came to us after the City Council rejected the proposal for a civil union registry. On that occasion, the councilor Fulvio Paparo (Bruni List) He stated: "Allowing a priori the formation of anomalous families with the same rights and guarantees as natural families truly means profoundly upending the social system." And then: "So, just as one chooses one's sexual identity, one should be able to choose the model of cohabitation that one subjectively recognizes as most suitable.".
And then provoking: «Among those available, none should in principle be excluded, not even however trivial the hypothesis may be: the promiscuous one between man and animal, as well as incest, polygamy, paedophilia»"The documentary's trailer, in fact, opens with the words of this councilor. "A rejection that was accompanied by offensive tones in the chamber, as the video documents," says Alessandro Esposito.
PEOPLE – "We conducted about fifty interviews downtown, on a Saturday afternoon," Esposito continues. "The survey paints a discouraging picture, one of strong hostility towards the gay world. The people of Bergamo don't hide their annoyance even when addressing the issue of civil rights for homosexual couples." "Homo Fobicus" will be officially presented in September. "There will also be Nicky Vendola and maybe Vladimir Luxuria» concludes Esposito.
THE COUNCILLOR – Maddalena Cattaneo, Bergamo's councilor for equal opportunities, admits that the city is struggling to accept the changes, but that the video doesn't reflect the general opinion of the people of Bergamo, especially her own. Cattaneo didn't agree with Councilor Fulvio Paparo's comments at the time; in fact, she was and is in favor of a registry for common-law couples. "Unfortunately," she tells us, "the council rejected it.".
WATCH THE TRAILER FOR "HOMO FOBICUS""
