Following the 3rd Provincial Congress of Orlando, the Provincial Committee of Arcigay of Brescia, which took place today, Sunday 14 December 2008, at the Buozzi Hall of the CGIL Chamber of Labour of Brescia, the following were elected to the association positions:
President: Gianluca Archetti
Board of Directors: Tommaso Alferj, Ivano Covatti, Salvatore Monteleone, Andrea Scalmana, Luca Trentini, Ruggero Vergine, Andrea Zucchini
Board of Guarantors: Pietro Affò, Fiorenzo Fisogni, Agostino Gaffurini.
The political program for the three-year period 2009-2011 and 5 orders of the day have been approved: on the creation of the Bergamo provincial committee, on the Lombardy regional coordination, on culture, on hospitality, on schools and on aggregative activities which will soon be available on the website. www.arcigaybrescia.it
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ARTICLE FROM BRESCIAOGGI – December 15, 2008
Greater visibility. The work of the Arcigay "Orlando" provincial committee is based on this imperative. A vibrant organization that matters. 3,900 registered members from Brescia and is the contact person for 3,500 Bergamaschwho will be able to start their own association this spring. This organization has a new president since yesterday. After three years of commitment, Luca Trentini ends his mandate and passes the baton to Gianluca Archetti, elected yesterday during the third provincial congress in the Buozzi hall on Via Folonari.
Archetti, 28 (his job involves recruiting), has been a member of Orlando for four years. He admits that "he won't be able to dedicate the same amount of time to the association as Luca, because a new job will soon take him away from Brescia frequently." But he's counting on the new board of directors (elected yesterday and comprising Tommaso Alferj, Ivano Covatti, Salvatore Monteleone, Andrea Scalmana, Luca Trentini, Ruggero Vergine, and Andrea Zucchini; the guarantors are Pietro Affò, Agostino Gaffurini, and Fiorenzo Fisogni).
What are the prospects? To build a path for the gay community in Brescia, according to Archetti, we need to start again.«from simple things, from reference values: hospitality and, indeed, visibility»A tough task these days. "After all," he argues, "we're dealing with an administration that pops bottles on the rubble of Roma camps. It pretends to listen to us at the meeting, but then relegates us to a hidden corner (Piazza San Domenico, ed.) on World AIDS Day. They told us that the space we requested (Corso Zanardelli, corner of Corso Palestro, ed.) was occupied: it wasn't true. There were other associations' stands in the street, not ours, where we were handing out informational materials. One of the first things I'll do is go to the mayor and ask the reasons for this episode.".
On politics, Orlando feels he can't count on it: "Many people have been close to us out of opportunism," observes the new president, who doesn't hide his disillusionment after the failure of the PACS and DICO. But it's also true that—Archetti explains—"«Arcigay's political action began to recover precisely when it separated itself from the parties»"And that "our space is social: the square, the association, the aggregation.".
The framework outlined by Trentini's successor is well represented in the political document approved by the congress. The title, «"For a strong, visible, and supportive community"», recalls the path to be taken. Building cohesion among the groups that make up the gay, lesbian, and transgender community in Brescia is the future challenge, as Gloria Sosta also expressed on behalf of Lily Elbe. A feasible challenge, for Archetti: "The associations are there, and the people who want to do so, too. Let's listen to them.".