What happened with the political elections requires the entire LGBT movement to reflect deeply. A new strong right-wing government is about to take office and it is our precise duty to deal with it, maintaining Arcigay's line of always having fair and open relationships with institutions, regardless of the majorities that govern them.
We must acknowledge that the electorate has given precise indications. The disappearance of the Rainbow Left and the Socialists from Parliament, the limited result of the PD They pose to us, and to all social movements, movements for freedom and the conquest of new rights, the question of what type of dialogue we should interpret in the future.
Arcigay has long since gone beyond the role it played in past years as an intermediary between the demands of the movement and the parties, this has determined a strong autonomy of action and judgment.
All this must be preserved and put at the service of the main commitment we have set ourselves,to build a strong and deep-rooted gay and lesbian social lobby across the country, an indispensable tool for achieving our goals.
This means for us, starting from the next political and social events, first of all the Bologna National Pride on June 28th, to put ourselves completely at the service of an undertaking that will require maximum political and organizational effort. The LGBT people, their demands, their organized presence can only have political weight when there is a united, supportive political and social entity in step with the times.
We are saddened by the fact that Franco Grillini, Gianpaolo Silvestri, Wladimir Luxuria, Titti De Simone, have not been reconfirmed in Parliament and that all the other LGBT candidates in the running have failed to achieve their election objective. We welcome the election to the Chamber of Deputies of Paola Concia, representative of the PD's LGBT table, and we assure him of our support and collaboration from now on.
A new phase is opening: Arcigay, as already decided a year ago at its National Congress, will be essentially committed to relationship with the LGBT people, expanding services, committees, and support tools.
All the issues we are carrying remain unresolved, from the legal recognition of same-sex couples to legislation against homophobia and discrimination based on sexual orientation. These are concrete issues that impact the quality of life and social dignity of millions of people. On these two points and others, We will insist both with the sectors of the majority and with those of the opposition who are available, so that parliamentary convergence is possible, in line with all European regulations.
We will therefore develop, with all the political forces present in Parliament, in the Regions, in the Municipalities and in the Provinces, a relationship of institutional comparison and collaboration, in order to to implement concrete actions in favor of lesbian and gay citizens.
Aurelio Mancuso
National President of Arcigay
