The national associations Arcigay and ArciLesbica condemn the political attack on the Arcigay Il Cassero club by the two PdL councilors of the Bologna municipality, Bignami and Lisei.
The fuss they're trying to raise about the commercial activities of Cassero, which allegedly unduly benefits from the agreement with the Municipality, while all proceeds are invested as self-financing for the Club's activities, is intended to appeal, at a time of severe economic crisis across the country, to the most visceral and crude feelings of tension and conflict among social actors. The underlying idea behind the Bologna People of Freedom (PDL) speech is that in times of crisis, public funds should be allocated to more useful purposes than promoting the well-being, rights, and quality of life of LGBT people.
The Cassero provides a range of services to residents and is the shared home of the Bologna branch of Arcigay, as well as our national associations, the local branch of ArciLesbica, and the UAAR. Bologna's LGBT movement has a long history, one of whose milestones was the City Council's assignment of the Cassero in 1982, the first such assignment in Italy. This landmark gesture allowed the development of a strong LGBT community in the city, a point of reference at the national level for the wealth of services offered, the cultural offerings, and the recreational opportunities for people who rarely find their needs fully met in the mainstream world, often facing discrimination or physical or verbal abuse.
The headquarters where Cassero has operated since 2002 was granted by the only center-right administration the city of Bologna has ever had. We appeal to Mayor Merola and the current administration not to be seduced by the idea of gaining easy support from the more populist segment of public opinion, but to continue to pursue the vision of social inclusion and well-being for all that has so significantly shaped and defined the city's political history.
Elisa Manici, National ArciLesbica Secretary
Paolo Patanè, national president of Arcigay
