by Paolo Patanè*
After the bishops, who in "Avvenire" in recent days, were keen to make it known that in the upcoming local elections they should support only those who value the family "in the 'format' based on male-female marriage enshrined in the Constitution," now it is the turn of an imam to take a homophobic stance and enter forcefully into the political life of our country.
Ali Abu Shwaimache today urged voters not to vote for gay party representatives because homosexuality is "a conduct that is not in accordance with Islamic ethics." Nor do the imam's reassurances hold water. Fortunately, he explained that he had kindly not asked the faithful "to be against homosexuals.".
To the representatives of both fundamentalisms, who have finally found agreement on the exclusion of gay and lesbian issues from political debate and homosexual and transgender people from institutions, we remind them that Italy is not a theocracy but a secular and non-denominational republic.
We therefore ask voters to vote in the upcoming local elections for those who, regardless of their sexual orientation or religious beliefs, can provide a convincing perspective on the future governance of our cities.
For our part, we continue to look at politics as a space open to all and, in the name of the secular nature of the Republic, we reject any confessional and religious intrusion into political life aimed at limiting freedom and rights and dragging us away from Europe and Democracy.
*national president of Arcigay
