Declaration
With reference to the press release of Mr. Giacomo Andrei dated 15 August 2003, the national Arcigay expresses its solidarity with Riccardo Gottardi, President of Arcigay Pisa, for the shameful attacks suffered and renews its political support for the Friendly Versilia demonstration, which is expected to be one of the most important events dedicated to the Italian gay community.
Mr. Giacomo Andrei's offensive and baseless statements will be assessed by the competent national bodies, as required by the Statute, who will be called upon to make the appropriate decisions.
Aurelio Mancuso, National Secretary of Arcigay
Bologna, August 16, 2003
Press release from the Siena Arcigay Club, August 15, 2003
<i'Sei handicappato, fai schifo: ci allontani i client'
Frendly Versilia: Arcigay denounces yet another instance of discrimination against people with disabilities perpetrated by the management of the Torre del Lago (Lucca) festival. Andrei: "When profit kills values, human dignity dies."‘
For the second consecutive year, Arcigay Siena denounces the severe discrimination against people with disabilities perpetrated by the organizers of "Friendly Versili," the annual festival that, despite controversy, takes place at the Marina di Torre del Lago, a hamlet of Viareggio (Lucca). RM, a 43-year-old disabled gay man with ID 100% and a member of the Siena Arcigay club, also attended the event called "Friendly Versili" in Torre del Lago this year—better known as "Gay Pride Summer," despite having none of the hallmarks of the well-known civil rights event. When asked to occupy one of the many spaces designated for associations on behalf of Arcigay Siena to carry out volunteer work and promote rights through the distribution of association materials (because, despite the tragedy that has struck, RM does everything it can to help others), the party director, Riccardo Gottardi, denied permission again this year. It had already happened last year, and the reasons were as clear then as they are today: a disabled person is unsightly, disgusting among customers, and drives them away. Better for him to hide. These are the exact words with which the director, Riccardo Gottardi, justified our requests, when our association protested last year. After last year's scandal, we thought such discrimination was unbearable.
They would have occurred no more, but instead they only became more subtle. This year, RM was allowed to enter, but without his materials and on the condition that he remain in a cramped space assigned to him—a treatment as degrading as it was insidious. The president of Arcigay Siena, Giacomo Andrei, commented on the incident as follows: "The logic of profit kills values, and without respect for human dignity, everything becomes permissible. Frendly Versilia is no exception to this principle, an event created to promote the violated rights of homosexuals and transformed into a race for profit with no holds barred and without rules." "Regarding those who discriminate against disabled people, our request is the same we repeat towards those who discriminate against homosexuals: no public funding for associations, suspension of licenses for public venues.".
SIENA, August 15, 2003