This morning's voting concluded the 10th National Arcigay Congress, held in Riccione from February 1st to 3rd. Sergio Lo Giudice, 40, a philosophy teacher at the Liceo Copernico in Bologna, was reappointed as the association's national president. The approximately 150 delegates at the congressional assembly elected a new political secretary for Arcigay: Aurelio Mancuso, 39, a journalist, former president of the Aosta Arcigay chapter and head of organization. He succeeds Davide Barba, president of the Naples chapter. The Honorable Franco Grillini, DS (Democratic Party) member, was confirmed by acclamation as honorary president.
The congress also elected the Arcigay national council (the parliament representing the association's entire regional branch). Thirty-five members were elected, 14 of whom were new to the previous assembly, in addition to the three positions of president, secretary, and honorary president. The average age of the 35 elected members, who come from Friuli, Calabria, Bolzano, and Sicily, is 28.
Among the political documents approved this morning are the organization of a free condom distribution campaign in Italian gay clubs and the launch of a collaboration with the gay and lesbian section of the National Institute for the Deaf and Dumb.
The Congress also decided to propose to other gay organizations in Europe a common political platform in view of the European elections, not excluding the possibility of presenting gay electoral lists in the event of insufficient responses from the political forces.
