THE GAY WORLD WAGES WAR ON THE CENTER-RIGHT
From “IL TIRRENO” of Friday 3 January 2003.
by Dario Remigi
[…]
Favorable province. Provincial President Lio Scheggi, in a lengthy interview published in the quarterly magazine "Fare" in early December, expressed great support for the GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender) movement in our city, on the sidelines of the celebrations for the first anniversary of the "Leonardo da Vinci" gay cultural club. "A society that aspires to civilized values," Scheggi stated, "is first and foremost a society that respects and accepts diversity: disability, race, skin color, sexuality. The founding of the "Leonardo" club in Grosseto is a momentous event for the entire region and demonstrates a cultural growth as well as a social maturity that is not always common in so-called provincial settings." Politics in the Maremma, in short, seemed to support the gay rights movement.
Common opposite. Thus we arrive at Friday, December 27, 2002. At 9:30 a.m., the City Council debated, in a tumultuous meeting and after numerous postponements, the regional bill against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, presented by Arcigay Toscana, the "Ireos" Association of Florence, AGEDO (Association of Parents, Relatives, and Friends of Homosexuals), and MIT (Transsexual Identity Movement). With 17 votes against, 5 abstentions, and 10 in favor, the City Council refused to support the regional bill, rejecting the motion put forward by Arcigay Grosseto and DS councilor Chiara Daviddi.
The wrath of Arcigay. The reactions were immediate and harsh. At 12:30, an official statement from Arcigay Grosseto President Davide Buzzetti frontally attacked Mayor Antichi's administration: "You and people like you are tarnishing the name of the Italian Republic, of democracy, of freedom, of the very Constitution you have so often mentioned, of the secular nature of institutions, of intelligence as well as common sense. You were given the opportunity to make Maremma society proud: you have given us the opportunity to continue to feel like Cinderella in the Tuscany of freedom and progress. Because Tuscany is something else, because in a few weeks that proposal will become regional law, thanks to those who truly care about the fight against discrimination and injustice." Sarcastically, Buzzetti thanked Mayor Alessandro Antichi, "who thought it best to be absent during the discussion and vote, demonstrating his utmost attention to our requests and to the demands for freedom he has always championed."«
Twenty-four hours later, Arcigay regional coordinator Alessio De Giorgi also criticized the Grosseto municipal vote. "It was difficult," he argued, "to oppose such a bill, which established an adult patient's right to designate the person to whom doctors should refer for consent to treatment in the event of their unconsciousness or prolonged incapacity. Opposing this law means being outside Europe and outside the culture of civil rights. It's ridiculous to invoke Article 3 of the Constitution to protect oneself from the risks of discrimination that exist in civil society: it's a bit like declaring the uselessness of waste disposal laws because the Constitution, in Article 9, provides for the protection of natural heritage. What is most surprising, however," De Giorgi concluded, "is the cowardly attitude of Mayor Antichi, who was absent from the chamber for the vote."«
The DS are furious. Chiara Daviddi, after some thought, also broke the deadlock yesterday: "I am astonished," the DS councilor stated, "by the city council's vote on the regional bill, both for the content it revealed and for the manner in which the session was discussed, which almost turned into a brawl. As is his wont, Mayor Antichi was the first to bluntly offend the opposition, who were demanding respect for the rules, including the right to answers to questions submitted many months earlier, or more generally for a climate of respect for all cultural and political positions that emerge in public sessions. Regarding the content: my group and that of Rifondazione believe that the bill against discrimination based on sexual orientation is an example of a social intervention that improves the quality of life for all citizens of our province. This is why they introduced and supported the bill. The majority councilors—including those from the Margherita party who abstained—believe that all the necessary elements are already in place to guarantee equal opportunities for all those with different sexual orientations. We are not at all convinced. The mayor's views are unclear, given that he disappeared from the chamber during the vote, demonstrating his irresponsibility, given that a proposal that affects the quality of life of each of us was under discussion.’
Ancient replica. But Grosseto Mayor Alessandro Antichi rejects all accusations. "The tone of the statements and the style of the reactions," Antichi states, "fully demonstrate that the authors of the [Arcigay] note cannot be considered interlocutors in a civilized debate. My abstention from the vote is open to many interpretations, one of which is undoubtedly the intention to keep the Administration neutral with respect to questions of conscience and different lifestyles. The ensuing controversy, however," the mayor concludes, "demonstrates which side the true traits of intolerance lie on. Expressing dissent from the majority's actions is one thing, and responding to gratuitous insults is another."«
[…]
Press release
Arcigay Leonardo da Vinci Club
7.1.03
Arcigay appeals to the Mayor, "The city demands an answer."“
We find it quite clumsy and irresponsible for the Mayor of a city to continue to gloss over a response to such a serious situation. The aggression your administration unleashed on us in that infamous council meeting is unjustifiable; it's clear there are no plausible justifications, and the entire center-right Grosseto government is now in a serious crisis of legitimacy. Rather than blaming you, I blame the Council and the parties behind it, the real culprits of what happened. The answers we demand must be given not only to the gay population, severely impacted by the vote and especially by the words of the center-right councilors, but also to the entire population of Grosseto, to all those who believe in a secular and libertarian state, democratic as well as a defender of minorities and diversity as a value. The city of Grosseto, among its many flaws, also has many virtues, first and foremost that of being an open and tolerant city, and naturally having a particular respect for diversity; quality that its ruling class evidently does not have.
I believe you can continue to spice up this matter endlessly with words. See the UDC's latest statements. We ask you for two simple, clear and concrete actions:
We invite you to a public debate by mid-month (for which we have already received numerous requests from local television stations) where everyone can explain their reasons to the public. There are many questions you cannot avoid answering; unfortunately, your Administration has not shown itself neutral—even though we still need to fully understand what it means to remain neutral on discrimination—but it has voted against us. Why? Because you support discrimination? Because you haven't read the law? Because they were distracted? Because you are in the hands of bigots and conservative extremists, the true puppeteers of municipal politics?
We've learned from the newspapers that you describe yourselves as inspired by values of equality and respect. You'll be happy to know that on Holocaust Remembrance Day, January 27th, we will be commemorating the victims of the Nazi-Fascist Holocaust with two events. As you surely know, during those terrible years, the victims of that barbarity were not only Jews, Gypsies, and political prisoners, but also thousands and thousands of homosexuals. On Saturday the 25th, we will be holding a book presentation at the ARCI Khorakhanè club on Via Ugo Bassi, recounting the extermination of homosexuals in Nazi-Fascist Europe. On Sunday the 26th, we will be traveling with a delegation from Arcigay Toscana to the Roccatederighi concentration camp to lay a wreath in memory of all the dead. Unfortunately, gay victims are often forgotten, and few mention them during commemorations. We therefore ask you and your Administration to sponsor the events and be present.
We'll be there, will you?
We have no intention, now or in the future, of closing the door to this majority, especially not for preconceived reasons of political affiliation. Our work is solely aimed at improving civil coexistence in this city. Anyone who wishes to collaborate with us, through political means, is welcome. We don't take issue with the center-right ideologically, rather than the center, but we strongly condemn homophobia and prejudice wherever they may be found. If you have a position different from that of the majority councilors, I ask you to make it public. It is your duty as well as our right. Doing so would open up enormous new opportunities for dialogue, but you must tell us. We cannot imagine the views of the Mayor of our city. We know that the Council's position is not the same as the entire center-right. We are asking you to be a little more courageous and defend the democratic and tolerant values of these institutions, as well as to isolate the more conservative segment of your coalition. Our full support would be yours.
David Buzzetti
President of Arcigay Leonardo Da Vinci
WHAT IS REQUIRED FROM THE REGION — Factsheet
The regional bill against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity is a legislative innovation in matters within the regional jurisdiction, advanced by Arcigay, the "Ireos" Association of Florence, AGEDO, and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (MIT) of Tuscany. Inspired by Article 3 of the Italian Constitution, Article 22 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, and points 1 and 2 of the UN Declaration of Universal Rights, the bill—supported at the regional level by the DS, the Greens, and the Communist Refoundation Party—aims to require the Tuscan Parliament to intervene in the four areas within the regional jurisdiction:
a) Training: The Region would identify as its ongoing responsibility the continuing education and training of its staff for "the adoption of linguistic and behavioral methods inspired by consideration and respect for all sexual, ethnic, and religious orientations and identities." Public office employees would therefore be required to observe appropriate "linguistic and behavioral standards both in their relationships with others and among themselves.".
b) Media: The proposed law provides for pluralistic access to the media "of the various sexual orientations and identities present in society, their cultural models and references, and the psychological and relational issues generated by diversity." The Region would be responsible for monitoring and oversight.
c) Healthcare: The bill provides for the creation of a special health card to "designate the person to whom doctors and healthcare professionals must refer to obtain consent for a specific therapeutic treatment when the individual is incapacitated and the risk of serious harm to their health and/or physical integrity justifies the urgency and urgency of the decision." It also provides for the designated person's right to "flexible access to the patient's room, to remain there beyond institutional visiting hours to provide assistance and psychological support, and to monitor each phase of the patient's hospitalization.".
d) Employment: The proposed law requires the regional employment services to work together "to ensure the effective right to work and free choice for all persons whose sexual orientation or identity constitutes a disadvantage in employment." This includes "mapping" the local context to determine whether and where disadvantages related to sexual orientation exist.
Also of interest for the Maremma region is the provision that provides incentives for tourism companies to diversify their offerings and penalizes those who refuse to provide services to individuals with a different "sexual orientation or identity, physical or mental disability, age, race, caste, religion, political or trade union affiliation.".
