Let's call him Luca. He's about 25 years old and engaged to a boy: one night, three weeks ago, he abandoned his usual reserve and kissed him in a public place. For this, he was the victim of an unspeakably violent beating: five interminable minutes at the mercy of a gang of seven, maybe eight young men barely over 18, punched in the face and stomach, and, once he fell, kicked in the head. Lots of kicks. In the emergency room, the doctors told him he was in serious danger of retinal detachment. They beat him almost blind. And all for a kiss.
It happens at L'Urlo, on Via Adelasia. The gang is made up of clean-cut young men, except for the scowling expressions of would-be bullies. They've all had a few too many drinks. Some witness the kissing scene and surround the gay couple. Luca is soon isolated. They drag him out of the club. The beating begins there, in a dark courtyard. The bouncer notices what's happening: he intervenes, grabs one of the attackers and pulls him aside, but another takes over; the bouncer persists in trying to stop the violence, but the gang drags Luca out of his area, toward the steps, continuing to beat him. Luca, under the blows, manages to climb a few steps toward Viale Umberto: up there are streetlights; up there, despite the late hour, a few cars pass; up there, perhaps, someone can help him. But the gang is on top of him. Luca, hit hard, falls, and is kicked in the head. Then they leave him. Someone later loads him into a car and takes him to the emergency room. From there, he goes home. He doesn't even stop by the police station: he doesn't know his attackers, he could just file a complaint against unknown persons. The episode is just the tip of the iceberg.
«"In recent weeks," confirms Massimo Mele, president of the Sardinian Homosexual Movement, "there have been several cases of aggression against gay men. Gay men in Sassari have become accustomed to expressing their sexuality more freely, so today it's less uncommon to see two young men kissing in a public place." And what about other customers? "Many accept it without scandal. Others are curious. For others still, often the youngest, the reaction is rejection. And while in politically oriented clubs like Noir or Aggabbachela, intolerant people are quickly isolated, in other places there can be problems." Some people, faced with a gay kiss, express their discomfort verbally, but others also resort to violence. Especially when there are many of them and, aided by alcohol, gang violence prevails. Sometimes, all it takes is an attentive bouncer to prevent violence from erupting, perhaps by advising gay customers not to overdo it with the affection. Other times, it comes to blows: usually insults, shoves, a few punches. But once, a few months ago, a boy was beaten with chains.
Intolerance, Mele continues, has recently also manifested itself in hooliganism against the Borderline, the historic club on Via Rockefeller that for Sassari's gays was the only place where they could spend an evening without having to repress themselves: "After a three-year truce, they started throwing stones at the shutters again. Unfortunately, the decision to close the club risks fueling this kind of behavior: if the Borderline is closed by a court order, the hooligan on duty might feel somehow legitimized.".