Gay and transgender workers in Italy face discrimination and are often forced to make themselves invisible to protect themselves. A national survey by Arcigay sheds light on what has long been suspected, calling into question the institutions that are responding by announcing an initiative to encourage proper behavior in the workplace.
HIDDEN – The survey, the first national scientific study conducted in this field, shows that 131% of homosexual people have had their job applications rejected because of their sexual identity in the last ten years, and this percentage rises to 45% among transgender people. The research, presented Wednesday in Rome and conducted by Arcigay, collected 2,229 questionnaires completed by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, interviewed 52 qualified witnesses, and listened to 17 stories of workplace discrimination. Over a quarter of respondents are completely invisible in the workplace (26.6% of respondents); 39.4% are visible to the majority of colleagues or clients. Where there are other homosexual or transgender people in the workplace, visibility tends to increase. Concealing one's sexual identity is, for the most part, a way to avoid unfavorable treatment: the majority of those who live in invisibility in the workplace, in fact, fear that revealing their sexual identity would worsen their condition.
AFTER COMING OUT – However, this expectation is not confirmed by the experience of those who have come out (i.e., disclosed their status), most of whom believe their situation has not substantially changed, or has even improved. 4.81% of people reported being fired or unfairly dismissed because of their sexual identity in the past ten years, a percentage that rises to 2.51% among trans people. 19.11% of people reported being treated unfairly at work because they were gay, and the percentage rises to 45.81% among female-to-male trans people and even 56.31% among male-to-female trans people. And this discrimination is uniform across the country.
REACTIONS – The research findings provoked an outraged reaction from Democratic Party MP Anna Paola Concia, an openly lesbian, who blamed the Ministry of Labor, which contributed to the survey: "It will be essential to implement strategies to prevent and combat a phenomenon that significantly impacts the lives of people discriminated against in the workplace based on their sexual orientation and gender identity," she said. Franco Grillini, civil rights advocate for the Italy of Values party, also stated: "After this research, homophobic racism and discrimination in the workplace can no longer be denied, and the Ministry of Labor can no longer turn a blind eye, as has been the case up to now." Minister Maurizio Sacconi was quick to respond: "Arcigay's research highlights a sad reality that still characterizes our production system, both for goods and services. It is my intention to promote, as the Honorable Concia also rightly urges, an initiative aimed at encouraging more widespread correct behavior and countering incorrect behavior by involving ministerial, regional, private employment agencies, and, last but not least, the social partners, to initiate shared protocols. The labor market, concludes Sacconi, "must be increasingly transparent and efficient, based on the right of each person, of all people, to access and move from one place to another without any discrimination." (Source: Ansa)