Dear all,
I'm taking advantage of the holidays (and vacations) to send you a summary of the last few months of activity at the Arcigay Torino Ottavio Mai club. I'll limit myself to the initiatives of the last six months, as previous ones were already outlined at the provincial congress in October (during that time, among other things, it was easier to have direct contact with the association because its headquarters on Via Balbo allowed it).
Let's start with this: our headquarters. The one on Via Balbo is no longer there, for reasons obviously beyond our control or management. In the ongoing emergency, we've remedied this by returning to what we did previously, when our headquarters were at the TYC, and our activities were scattered around.
We've started a very positive collaboration with Sauna 011, which allows us to host meetings and events, such as the film club or the "Group Council." Meanwhile, we've reached out to the institutions and found openness and support.
In particular, thanks to the "Aria Project," which we'll discuss later, we've committed to managing the municipal premises at Via Palazzo di Città 11, which will accommodate meetings for the Youth, Schools, and Reception groups. Most importantly, we've approached the City of Turin to secure our own premises. We're well-intentioned, but we'll have to wait for next year's call for applications. Meanwhile, we've initiated collaborations with other organizations, and we'll be announcing these shortly.
At the national level, following the crucial and vital experience of the congress (I use the term vital for good reason, as the very survival of the association was at stake), Arcigay has relaunched with a new spirit and a new mandate, centered on four clear objectives: equality, health, the fight against all forms of discrimination, and coming out. These four overarching objectives will inform the coordinated action of the more than fifty local committees and will inspire Arcigay's engagement with the Italian and international associative and institutional landscape.
The most important political battle is and remains the one for marriage. We decided this together, at the national level, gathering everyone's requests. This objective is the cornerstone for finally achieving some results, keeping the bar high as possible for the demands made on institutions and politicians in general.
It doesn't seem like an unattainable goal: today, in fact, the debate is no longer about "unions or unions," but rather "unions or marriage." This fundamental step forward is due, at least in large part, to the work of the LGBT movement, and in particular to the persistence of associations like ours.
But there are also new political horizons we must address, particularly those of international scope, such as the fight to stop the deadly law in Uganda that would condemn many people to death simply for being gay, HIV-positive, or otherwise. We are beginning to explore these, and have presented a motion to the city councils of Turin and other municipalities in the province condemning the law's approval.
And in the meantime, what's happening locally? Let's take a tour of the various groups in the club.
In the last month alone, the Schools group has visited over six schools, both in Turin and beyond, leading students to discuss issues such as discrimination, bullying, homophobia and transphobia, different sexual orientations (all of them), gender identity, and Italy's chauvinistic and male chauvinist culture, etc.
Gibraltar, the radio program on Radio Beckwith, continues its weekly programs of in-depth analysis, entertainment, and all-round music, with an editorial team working behind the scenes to ensure its broadcast. We've also explored important future scenarios for this program, including the possibility of a national network through partnerships with other Arcigay-related organizations, such as Radio Deegay or similar.
The Culture group continues with book presentations (LGBT Pages at Legolibri) and film clubs, and has launched a partnership with the Teatro Araldo for the "Va tutto bene Madama la Marchesa" festival. As soon as we've resolved the issue of the venue or location for relaunching the activities, further opportunities for debate and meetings will be added.
Furthermore, last November, we launched a major cultural initiative together with the Cinema Museum and the LGBT Film Festival, sponsored by the 011 Sauna Club association, the Pegaso Group of Catania, and the Turin LGBT Pride Coordination Committee, reviving the cinematic works of Ottavio Mai. We thus created CINEMAI, two continuous days of completely free screenings (meaning we covered most of the costs ourselves to make it possible for everyone to participate).
The Reception service continues to listen and make itself available to the dozens of people who contact us each month seeking comfort, advice, a listening ear, or to report horrific incidents that often go unreported to protect the people who have experienced them. We will soon be launching a call for new volunteers and launching the necessary training initiatives for those who wish to join the group.
The Psychology Group has begun collaborating with "Progetto Aria," a listening and counseling service organized by the City of Turin, which we partnered with following a call for proposals we submitted last summer. The service's goal is to address youth distress and provide personalized responses to those who come forward. Arcigay will be committed to providing support and counseling on issues of sexual orientation, with a special focus on young people who wish to address these issues. But the Psychology Group goes further and is also preparing to provide counseling through training and supervision activities both within and outside of Arcigay Turin. Starting in January, a series of mandatory supervision meetings are planned for those active in the various groups, to support those who engage in activism and dedicate their time and resources. This will create a virtuous circle of caring for those who care for the association.
The Youth Group continues to provide a unique service in the area, promoting individual and group growth, individual and collective growth and enrichment, where experiences and values, personal and broader issues related to being LGBT, are explored. But above all, it continues to be a "peer group" experience, vital and essential during the adolescent journey.
The Women's Space offers alternatives for meeting, recreation, and socializing in a unique way compared to Turin's traditional setting. It is also a space for reflection and discussion, where everyone brings their own experiences and needs, and from which proposals and actions emerge. Starting this year, two of the Gruppo Cultura's monthly events are dedicated to women: one during the film club and one during book presentations.
In addition to the study day on December 1st, the Health Group is launching a specific HIV project to raise awareness and investigate the local situation. This includes conducting hundreds of rapid random tests (in conjunction with the National AIDS/HIV Council and the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan), speaking in schools (in conjunction with the Turin Council for the Secularity of Institutions, the Province of Turin, and the CTP) on topics such as prevention and sexuality, and building insights into the health and well-being standards of its members at national level. When these projects are adopted (and given the excellent reception they have received, we believe they will be), they will ensure a leap forward in the association's recreational activities. Finally, still in the area of training, a project on "first aid and health services" is underway (conducted in conjunction with ANPAS Piemonte), through which 730 boys and girls in schools in Turin and the surrounding province have received training on prevention and sexuality. This project also includes the distribution of materials produced internally.
The Events Group, in addition to being the "direct support unit" for the initiatives of other groups, also creates social gatherings like L'Altra/Sponda, where everyone is welcome. These are opportunities to meet informally, get to know each other, have fun, network and communicate, and even have a first contact with the association. All proceeds from these events are reinvested in the association without any kind of "reimbursement" for those who manage them. Following the findings of the last group council meeting, and following the suspension of L'Altra Sponda for the winter, the Events Group will also organize a monthly event open to all. The focus will be not only on entertainment and self-financing, but also on publicizing the various projects and fostering dialogue between the association's diverse members.
The Circle's political activity continues. We are engaging with local institutions and all those involved in public affairs to ensure they keep LGBT issues firmly in mind. In preparation for the upcoming elections, we are conducting a candidate screening (which I invite you to watch), and we are asking them to provide comprehensive opinions on marriage and civil unions, adoption, and family law reform, as outlined in the policy document approved at the national congress. This will be the first step in developing a process of genuine political analysis of all parties and candidates, as well as the lists, to verify and certify before the elections which of them will advance the concerns of the LGBT movement.
On labor issues, we work closely with the CGIL national and local legal offices to address discrimination and marginal situations.
We're also launching a new group for deaf LGBT people, who face double discrimination. We've started showing films at the film club with subtitles and, wherever possible, are starting a program of learning LIS (International Sign Language) to allow everyone to communicate and benefit from our initiatives.
Thanks in particular to one of our members, soon, if all goes as planned, we will also have a dedicated help desk for asylum seekers who have been discriminated against or convicted in their country based on their sexual orientation.
In short, we're certainly not sitting idly by. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank those who, over these months (or years), continue to contribute and dedicate their time and energy to the association, allowing us, even when it doesn't seem like it, to be one of the liveliest and most thriving local associations.
But these days, our thoughts also turn to those who are no longer with us. To Alessandro and Giuseppe, who chose to leave us. The pain of their loss, the sense of helplessness, the anger make us want to scream "Never again." A "Never again" that also resonates in the homophobic episode suffered by D. just a few days ago, when he was thrown out of Vox, a karaoke disco pub on Via Cumiana here in Turin. A "Never again" that will be the hallmark of this beginning of 2013, which finds us with clenched fists and red, tired eyes, but with the knowledge that change will soon come here, in Italy, and that we too are building this change, step by step, tear by tear, until enough people realize that, if you raise your head, you are no longer alone.
Happy 2013
Just Marco Alessandro
National Secretariat – Head of Territories & Alliances
President of Arcigay Turin Ottavio Mai
