Gay politicians, the gossip is online

There's some good news. For once, everyone agrees. Everyone is against it, incredulous. The creators of "Listaouting" have succeeded in this unique operation, an anonymous blog created with the goal of publicizing ten names of gay politicians who have kept their sexual orientation a secret. "Outing," in fact. The term was first used in the early 1990s by the American gay liberation movement to describe the political practice of publicly revealing, in retaliation, the sexual orientation of some secretly gay people who publicly attack homosexuality. Bloggers here have tried the same. The operation is simple: pick ten names at random, perhaps those that have occasionally become the center of gossip and barroom chatter, number them from 1 to 10 in strict alphabetical order, post them online, and the grand political operation is complete. Of course, don't tell the perpetrators of this digital stunt. "Outing is a harsh but just tool," they proudly and anonymously explain. "It consists of publicly declaring the homosexual practice, or other sexual practices, of politicians (single, married, or cohabiting), priests, well-known and influential people who, through concrete actions and stances, offend and discriminate against gay, lesbian, and transgender people." What the bloggers behind the initiative couldn't stomach was the rejection of the bill on homophobia by Parliament on July 26th. In the aftermath of the vote, the idea of Italian-style outing came to Aurelio Mancuso, president of Equity Italia, even though he now washes his hands of it ("I had nothing to do with it"). From then on, the proclamations continued, until the final announcement: on September 23rd at 10 a.m., the long-awaited (so to speak) "black list" would be published. And so it was. These are exclusively center-right representatives (PdL and UDC). The group has decided to "start with these first ten names to clearly demonstrate how hypocrisy and discrimination reign in the Italian Parliament: there are many other politicians whose true sexual identities we know, present in all parties. For now, we will limit ourselves to publishing a selection of those belonging to the parties that voted against the law on homophobia." This initial list, they promise, "will be followed by others in the coming months and years: we have the names of a dozen high-ranking prelates, as well as other personalities from the world of entertainment and television." Finally, a real warning: "From now on, when attacks against the LGBT community arise from the Catholic hierarchy, the media, or politics, we will reserve the right to respond appropriately." Luckily, those directly affected laugh it off. "I had received news that my name would be exploited and included in a defamatory list. For a moment I feared they'd include me in the secret Inter Milan group. "All things considered, it's better this way," says Massimo Corsaro, deputy vice president of the PDL in the Chamber of Deputies and a staunch Juventus supporter. Mario Baccini instead chooses a Latin lover "defense," which never goes out of style: "I'm seriously worried because I've already received a hundred phone calls from concerned women, starting with my wife Diana," he jokes. "They assured me that a women's committee for the protection of Latino men is being formed, which will launch a campaign to sign up and collect signatures so that UNESCO recognizes me as a male heritage of humanity." "I was amused to read that I'd been included in a list of unsuspecting gays. But the laughter of friends convinced me that trying would be futile because they just don't see me in that role, and so, with all due respect to everyone, I have to admit that I'm a banal and convinced heterosexual," comments the PDL group leader in the Senate, Maurizio Gasparri. Roberto Formigoni, governor of Lombardy, reacted harshly: "Sick fantasies of unspeakable characters. Don't waste your time following this extreme nonsense." The angriest of all, however, is the gay community: "A ridiculous operation, not outing, but gossip. A page from an operetta," commented Paolo Patanè, president of Arcigay. "It's crude, vile, and barbaric. And it's a bit reminiscent of the Boffo case," added Alessio De Giorgi, editor of Gay.it. Democratic Party MP Paola Concia, creator of the homophobia law, called for "opening a debate," and the majority agreed with her. In the end, perhaps Marco Pannella had everyone figured it out, 30 years ago: "Then, of course, there are the homossholes and the heterossholes. But that's not a surprise.".