This morning the “Change Italy” meeting was held in Rome, organised by the major Italian LGBT associations, for a direct discussion with the parties and election candidates on their agenda on the issues of civil rights and freedom of gays, lesbians and trans people.
During the meeting, representatives of Civil Revolution And Sel they expressed a clear and detailed yes, by joining the Temposcaduto campaign (www.temposcaduto.com), to the programmatic platform that Arcigay is submitting to the candidates, and therefore a yes to the vote in Parliament on a law that will guarantee access to civil marriage for homosexual people. Many candidates of the Five Star Movement important support for the campaign is arriving.
The "German proposal" supported by the Democratic Party During the meeting and in public statements, on the contrary, it is still too far from the minimum that Italian homosexuals and lesbians, their families, and Italians expect from a political group that claims to be truly progressive and that fights for the formal and substantive equality of all and is already outdated compared to the European regulatory framework.
We also welcomed the favorable stance on marriage expressed by all the Democratic Party members present at the meeting, and we are certain that this is widely held within the party.
If, as was stated today, the Democratic Party truly believes this position to be the beginning of a journey, we await the endorsements of candidates who support the "Tempo Scaduto" campaign. Parties, as was clearly expressed today during the meeting, have a social and cultural responsibility for advancing society and politics in Italy. We want to know clearly who we are being asked to vote for. The lay members of the Democratic Party should find the courage to speak clearly, they have nothing to gain from it..
Arcigay will not settle for any lower-level proposal regarding rights and dignity. Equality is both formal and substantive; it cannot be achieved in small steps but must be included in the political plan of those running to govern this country. Next Thursday, we will express an overall assessment of these issues, as discussed during the election campaign.
Flavio Romani, president of Arcigay.
