Arcigay deals with the political and administrative elections of April 13 and 14 because they will have a profound impact on the real lives of gays and lesbians in this country.
Two years of center-left government have left LGBT people with profoundly disappointed hopes and commitments. We had a foretaste of this with the approval of the Union's program in 2006: a fragile and hypocritical compromise, which did not fail to pollute and paralyze all attempts to implement ambiguous and legally ineffective concepts.
Despite the discussions and debates surrounding the insufficient and botched legislative proposals on the recognition of de facto couples and on anti-discrimination rules, we have highlighted the commitment of those in the Government and Parliament who were seriously working to ensure their approval, Our overall judgment can only be resolutely negative..
In this context, we proudly underline the positive and tireless work carried out by our parliamentarians: Franco Grillini and Gianpaolo Silvestri, whom we thank for having been able to carry forward, in a difficult situation, initiatives and measures in favor of homosexuals and for having prevented attempts to approve measures that would lead to further potential discrimination.
Already at the last National Congress, Arcigay had affirmed its autonomy in cultural positioning and social action.
We reiterate on this occasion our distance and distinction from the parties and our vocation to be a political and social entity directly representing the concrete needs of the vast Italian gay and lesbian population.
This doesn't mean we're neutral. We understand that these political and administrative elections are important and, in a certain sense, significantly transform the political landscape. However, the compositions and breakdowns of the various parties won't end with the April elections; therefore, the political transition will continue, and within this framework, our actions must be more attentive to identifying new developments and possible opportunities for action.
But our theoretical assertion that we ourselves are political and social subjects finds support from the consideration that, in fact, There is currently no homogeneous alliance of parties that has a real chance of winning the elections and that takes as central the awareness of the close intertwining between civil rights and social rights.
From the way the electoral battle is shaping up, the various players in the field are all intent on simplifying and clarifying the party lineup through deliberate or forced changes. Party-technical operations always favor the redefinition of the ruling classes, amidst self-preservation resistance and the superficial introduction of new faces to serve the traditional powers.
This is how the dramatic problems of the country are put into the background, future fortunes for the Italian society are evoked, but in truth no real change is perceived.
In this climate, where the Catholic hierarchy and specific powerful figures are the stone guests, capable of correcting, prohibiting, and blocking any idea of true reform, our issues and demands are perceived as marginal and annoying. This is weak politics, while the country demands more politics, more clear accountability.
However, the parties are not privileged interlocutors. Ours is a mission clear: We are in society, committed to representing the concrete needs of gays and lesbians which must be addressed through national laws, regional laws, and administrative provisions.
Our dialogue therefore takes place with the institutions, regardless of the parties that govern them., seeking to achieve results and not symbolic demonstrations of closeness that do not change the living conditions of gays and lesbians.
Let us therefore face the current social and political situation by proposing to Italian gays and lesbians to share a clear and articulated proposal:
1 – Arcigay's platform of demands is that of the LGBT movement "Equality Dignity Secularism", approved on the occasion of the Rome Pride 2007. Given that, in the current scenario, no political force is capable of concretely implementing the platform's content, Arcigay will not align itself with or recommend voting for any party or coalition.
2 – Arcigay will explicitly indicate that it will not vote for alliances and parties that propose social models that ignore the needs of LGBT people and do not grant political dignity to the consolidation of civil rights in this country.
3 – Arcigay will explicitly state that it will not vote for lists that nominate candidates who, through public statements and formal actions, advocate for the social exclusion of LGBT people, even if such lists include representatives of the LGBT movement.
4 – Arcigay, as a social lobby at the local level, proposes a pact with all eligible candidates who sign the RomaPride2007 platform and who decide to maintain or establish a direct relationship with Arcigay. Specifically, Arcigay will support LGBT candidates who come from the movement and who are active members of the association, with their own initiatives.
5 – Arcigay will not support candidacies aimed only at intercepting the votes of the community and invites all lesbians and gays not to present themselves to front operations or useless flagship candidacies.
As for the regional and administrative elections, Arcigay will support the candidacies for Regional, Provincial, and Mayoral Presidents only of those who sign specific commitments regarding actions against homophobia, for social inclusion, and to support the local LGBT community.