Gay couples fake wedding in the Sala Rossa. "Weddings in Spain. And here?"«

Surrounded by relatives and friends, who had traveled from as far away as Spain, they exchanged a kiss while sitting in the Red Room of Palazzo D'Accursio, where civil weddings are celebrated. Ottavio Marzocchi and Joaquin Nogueroles Garcia, both EU officials, got married near Valencia on August 20th. And yesterday, jokingly, they also simulated the wedding in Ottavio's hometown. The same-sex couple, with a march organized by the radical association Certi Diritti, had intended to meet Mayor Virginio Merola to request "the registration of the marriage in the municipal registry," as is usually done for (heterosexual) unions contracted abroad. But the mayor was in Milan for the ANCI demonstration. So the newlyweds, before going to the registry office to submit all the necessary documentation, decided to do it themselves. The rite was drafted by Cathy La Torre, the leader of the SEL group in the Council and vice president of the MIT (Transsexual Identity Movement), and the councilor of Polinyà de Xuquer, Joaquin's brother, who had already united the two in Spain. "THE FACT that they were able to enter the Sala Rossa," La Torre reasons, "is already a sign of welcome from the Municipality." Even though nothing could be done about the transcription. The two were received by some municipal officials, but without achieving the desired result. Why? Simple: "Italian law doesn't allow it," Ottavio admits, disappointed and bitter. "We are the Iran of Europe," accuses Franco Grillini, regional councilor of the IDV. "I hope Merola will still have the marriage registered. Even if any court then annuls it. We're not asking to break the law, but to send a strong message." Because, Grillini continues, for Italian homosexuals, "fascism never ended and marriage remains a privilege for heterosexuals. Merola then concluded: "Let him prove himself a mayor worthy of Imbeni and Zangheri, who thirty years ago allowed the opening of the Cassero. The first recognized gay club in our country." And ARCIGAY, precisely on the anniversary, has proposed Bologna as the venue for Gay Pride 2012. September 7th will also be an important date for the LGBT community in Bologna. It marks one year since the death of Marcella Di Folco, a longtime leader of the Italian Ministry of Transport and city councilor. To commemorate her, SEL will ask for a street to be named after her. Matteo Giannacco