From the process of becoming aware of one's sexual orientation to the struggles of communicating it to family and friends. We tried to understand How some homosexuals, both male and female, feel and live in Friuli, through interviews in the Gonfalone hall of Palazzo 'Aronco, the seat of the municipal administration.
Here, in the heart of the city's institutional life, through the mediation of Democratic Party (DS) city councilor Enrico Pizza, stories, faces, and names of couples with foster children have come to light. From the building where civil unions are still a utopia, to everyday life, made up of compromises, balances, silences, and the impossibility of holding hands with one's partner when out on the town or at a restaurant. Based on the letters we receive, our newspaper intends to launch a space dedicated to those who don't always have a voice.
«"B-CLASS CITIZENS"» – Perhaps, the only aspect that has improved compared to ten years ago is the push to reveal one's sexual orientation with less effort within the home, according to Allan Francesco Cudicio, 22 years old, a university student born in Udine. For him, "it was simply acknowledging who I am." "What hurts most is irony," Allan vents. "It hurts and has harmful effects, because by legalizing homophobia, it forces people to repress their own nature." Friulian homosexuals would like to hold hands, indulge in the typical displays of affection typical of any other couple, "but we don't have this freedom." In a word, "we remain morally second-class citizens," he laments. Giacomo Depereu, 37 years old, a freelancer, according to whom «modern prejudice often hides behind "political correctness", behind forced tolerance, behind a tolerance devoid of respect". Homosexuals do not know their own history, their own past, their own culture: to fill this void, according to Giacomo, "homosexual associations should fight for the recognition of the rights of homosexual minors, even before the rights of homosexual couples.".
COMING OUT INTO THE OPEN – In the countryside, it's taboo; here, homophobia is almost the law. Being gay is hell. "Luckily, things change in the city," he says. Alessandro, 35 years old, a craftsman who dreams of the moment when he can say "this is my husband." He will go to Spain to see with his own eyes what a normal situation can be like. He, like Eva Dose, president of the Arcilesbica association, and Stefano Miorini, 37 years old, Stefano, separated with a thirteen-year-old daughter in joint custody whom he sees daily, even though he's been living with a man for five years, calls on all homosexuals to come out of the shadows. "You shouldn't hide your homosexuality. In the workplace, I think I've had to work a little harder to maintain my credibility," says Stefano. Allan Francesco Cudicio makes an appeal to the Friulian community: «"Don't be afraid to really get to know us."».
For his part, Giacomo exhorts gays: «We must demonstrate our normality by imposing ourselves and our relationship in everyday life: emancipated homosexuals, those who have the courage to be themselves in the light of day, have a moral duty to to create homosexual culture». Palazzo 'Aronco has seen and heard.