The 10th National Arcigay Congress opens today at 3:30 PM in Riccione.
Having surpassed 100,000 members in 2001 and with its 90 offices spread throughout the country from Aosta, Trieste, Bolzano to Bari, Cosenza and Palermo, Arcigay is the main Italian gay organization and the only one with national reach.
Founded in 1985, Arcigay today presents itself as a "gay union," independent of all political factions and parties, open to dialogue and discussion on issues of equal rights for homosexuals in Italy, the secular nature of the state, freedom and respect for individual choices and lifestyles, and the valorization of diversity and social plurality.
""We will go to measure the actual liberal spirit of the majority and of Berlusconi's government," announced Sergio Lo Giudice, national president of Arcigay. "We hope they are on par with the civility of the governments of other European countries, most of which have now recognized the equal dignity and equal rights of homosexuals, with no sign of the disastrous social upheavals predicted and repeatedly announced by our homegrown fundamentalists.".
Encouraging signs are coming from the Minister of Equal Opportunities, Stefania Prestigiacomo. This afternoon, the head of the Technical Secretariat, Luigi Pelaggi, will announce the Ministry's approval of the decree reactivating the Rights and Freedoms Commission, proposed and obtained by Arcigay from then-Minister Laura Balbo.
The reading of the greeting from the President of the Senate, Marcello Pera, will accompany the start of the congressional proceedings.
Arcigay is instead asking the center-left and DS secretary Piero Fassino, who is expected to attend the congress this afternoon, to move from words to action, committing themselves now, as all the major European social democratic parties have done, to include the issue of equal rights for homosexuals in the government program with which the coalition will present itself in the next political elections.
Laws such as those on the legal recognition of same-sex couples and those against discrimination based on sexual orientation are a reality in most European countries: France, Germany, Portugal, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland, and some regions of Spain (Aragon, Catalonia, Valencia). A proposed law by the Blair government is currently being debated in the British Parliament. The countries that were the first to recognize the value and social dignity of same-sex families are also those pursuing strong policies to support traditional families, demonstrating in practice that there is no contradiction between protecting the family and legally recognizing same-sex couples.
The anti-discrimination bill, presented by the Honorary President of Arcigay, Franco Grillini, has already received 158 signatures from deputies. "This," Grillini commented, "is one of the bills that has received the broadest support in Parliament. We are waiting to see how the majority of the House of Freedoms will react when the bill, which merely applies the principle of equality guaranteed by the Constitution to those based on sexual orientation, is put to a vote in Parliament.".
The afternoon conference will begin with an illustration by Marzio Barbagli, a sociologist at the University of Bologna and the Carlo Cattaneo Institute—recognized as one of Italy's most authoritative family scholars—of the social survey "Modern Homosexuals," conducted with Asher Colombo and published by Mulino. The survey—the largest and most comprehensive ever conducted in Italy—is not short of surprises, such as the fact that in the 25-29 age group, young homosexuals choose to cohabit more frequently than their heterosexual peers: 81% of homosexual men and 171% of homosexual women choose to cohabit, compared to 2% and 31%, respectively, in the general population. Sociologist Chiara Saraceno of the University of Turin will present a similar study conducted in Turin. Psychiatrist Paolo Rigliano will discuss the themes of his recent publication, "Loves Without Scandal," published by Feltrinelli.
Comments are expected from all the guests, including the TV showgirl Platinette.
Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, approximately 150 delegates from all over Italy will meet to discuss and define the association's strategy for the next three years, update the association's organization, amend the statute, and elect the statutory bodies: the national president and secretary, the honorary president, and the 35 members of the national council (the small parliament that discusses the association's policy between congresses and is a reflection of Arcigay's local reality).
The increase in membership over the last three years, since the last congress in 1998, has been +33%. Membership has gone from approximately 75,000 to more than 100,000 in 2001. "Evidently," observes Aurelio Mancuso, head of the organization, "there is still a strong driving force that drives many young people to seek out places of social and civic engagement, sociability, and recreation, to make Italy more free and civilized, and to feel more safe and respected." Growth is particularly strong in the South, where many new chapters have opened in the last three years, and in some cities these are the first gay associations ever established in the area. Women account for approximately 10,000 members, 10% of the total. This is a significant number considering that in 1996, Arcilesbica became an independent association with a separate membership from Arcigay.
