Dear Pierluigi Battista,
I share some important insights from his reflection (below) on the outing of homosexual public figures and the grave risk of introducing a principle undermining people's freedom that would ultimately become uncontrollable and would certainly not distinguish between known and unknown individuals, between homophobes and homosexuals.
The visibility of one's orientation must be equally promoted in all cases but cannot be imposed, just as democracy cannot be exported by force of arms. Arcigay expressed a very severe position, in particular on this cynical, horrible, vainly scandalous hypothesis Italian outing, faceless and without accountability. We have done so consistently with our principles and our history, despite facing intense internal debate and very different positions.
However, it seems to me that his reasoning contains some pitfalls.
It is true, in fact, that it is in accordance with the most sacred principles of freedom to recognize that each individual has the ability to choose whether, how, and when to communicate their affectivity and sexuality to the world. It is equally true, however, that Sexual orientation, whether heterosexual or homosexual, is not just sex and is not just a private matter.
Indeed, when we move beyond the sphere of mere sexual behavior and enter the sphere of orientation, many things begin to become the same for everyone—gays, lesbians, straight people, and transgender people: love, being a couple and a family, having children, work, health, and the recognition of rights, duties, mutual support, and social and legal dignity.
Everyone must have the right to live and publicly realize their homosexuality or transsexuality or heterosexuality with equal opportunities.
This "right to light" for transgender and homosexual people is a principle of civilization that Italy still ignores. Our politicians, lyingly, cowardly attribute its absence to social sensitivity rather than to themselves and their own inconsistency.
Instead, the ruling class has a duty to allow the public visibility of every identity and the growth and change of a country in fairness and equality, without false excuses, and against all inequality. Perhaps recalling the beautiful words of Benjamin Constant: "The will of an entire people could not make what is unjust just.".
Paolo Patanè
National President of Arcigay
Pierluigi Battista's reflection on "Il Corriere della Sera".
Section: Ideas and Opinions Date: 20/09/2011 – Page: 56
The Freedom to Be Gay Without Ddrlo and the Tribal Myth of Transparency
Of Pierluigi Battista
Once again, in the name of absolute transparency, the crime of destroying privacy is being committed. On September 23rd, a gay website proudly threatens to release a complete list of gay politicians and ministers who wish to keep their sexual orientation a secret. They believe they are thus waging a crusade against hypocrisy, but are actually working wholesale to curtail freedom.
Piece by piece, until it's consumed. The freedom to speak out or to hide. The freedom to live one's sexual condition without the public world exercising its watchful and intimidating control. Without the gossipy and merciless court of public opinion being privy to every secret and every part of one's life, deliberately kept discreet and shadowy.
If gay politicians don't want to say it, it shouldn't be said. Period, there shouldn't be any discussion.
They are the champions of transparency, these spies who harm people in the belief they are benefiting progress, but who instead contribute to sinking every glimmer of personal freedom into the barbarism of total surveillance.
For years, "outing" fanatics, starting in the United States, have been trying to replace homosexuals who, for a variety of unquestionable reasons, refuse to "come out." They are terrorists, in the technical sense of the word: they spread terror and anguish. They massacre their victims under the pretext of doing them good.
It's unclear whether the website promising to release the names is a den of braggarts or blackmailers. Perhaps it's just a grotesque media advert for an unexpected quarter of an hour of publicity. They certainly lack respect for people, their rights, and the inviolable privacy that should be protected. Now, using wiretaps as a pretext, exposing fragments of the private lives of the "powerful," they want to take the violence of ridicule to its extreme, targeting those with no guilt to hide, yet still entitled to hide something. This goes against the tribal myth of transparency.
