[:it]By Gabriele Piazzoni
National Secretary of Arcigay
We read with amazement the article published today in Repubblica and which comments on the number of civil unions celebrated since the law's approval. The article speaks of a "flop," "no rush." And it argues: "Before the law was passed, there were thousands of protesters in the streets—gay men and women demanding their right to a civil "marriage"—but now the numbers paint a decidedly understated picture." Many wanted it, but few celebrated it. Therefore, a "flop." There are methodological and substantive issues that make this analysis, from Arcigay's perspective, extremely superficial and therefore rather unfortunate. In the method: rights are not a product launched on the market, whose success is measured by sales figures. In the aftermath of the law on abortion, no one would have dreamed of counting abortions and measuring a "flop" or a "boom." And similarly, if this country ever manages to address the issue of euthanasia, it would be monstrous to expect a "rush" the next day. Rights aren't that stuff; they're universal issues, even when they specifically concern just three people. In essence: by what standard are the 2,800 civil unions defined as a "flop"? The article makes no comparison with European data, for example: the Italian figure (which isn't based on a single year, since technical requirements only made celebrations possible in July 2016) seems in line with the Spanish one, for example, where same-sex marriage (not civil unions) was approved in 2005, and in the following 12 months, just over 3,000 ceremonies were recorded. In short: who sets the bar between a flop and a boom?
Finally, the irrefutable aspect of the article lies, of course, in the numbers, whose sources we assume are verified. The way they are distributed across the country raises many questions. And the answers can't be silly: it's unthinkable that all homosexuals live in the North or Center, just as it seems unlikely that the single civil union in Molise means that there's little desire to start a family in that region. Behind those numbers lie several issues, some very serious, that we encounter in our daily lives and that represent the meaning of our struggles. These issues don't render a law useless; if anything, they make others more urgent. "Scholars will have to explain," writes Liana Milella, author of the article. And that's certainly true. For our part, however, we can say that in Italy the day when we can write an editorial titled "Homophobia a flop" is a long way off. Even after the law was passed, we saw mayors refuse to perform civil unions, relegating them to the closet under the stairs. Because at the expense of LGBTI people, politicians wage a despicable battle for consensus and votes: we saw it during the long months of debate on the law, and we continue to observe it today.
We want to state one thing clearly: civil unions, since they recognize rights that were previously denied, are an achievement. And they shorten the distance to the goal of full equality before the law for LGBTI people. But civil unions—and equal marriage—are not orthodoxy, they do not represent a mandatory path. Therefore, we celebrate the 2,800 gay and lesbian couples who have said "yes" and who have formalized their love before the institutions. And we also celebrate those who have made different, free and conscious choices, setting their goal of happiness elsewhere. And above all, in the meantime, we continue to fight alongside all those who, on the path to their goals—which may or may not include civil unions—encounter obstacles caused by those who reject their sexual orientation or gender identity. Because discrimination, even against just one person, is always a defeat.
