The National Council of Arcigay, meeting on Saturday, March 23rd and Sunday, March 24th in Bologna, elected Alberto Baliello as President of the National Council, and Rosario Duca and Salvatore Simioli as Vice Presidents. Damiano Fiorato and a working group were also appointed to draft the bylaws for the meeting. Bruno Moroni, from Ravenna, with responsibility for homophobia and coming out, and Ottavia Voza, from Salerno, with responsibility for transgender issues, also joined the association's national secretariat.
The association then unanimously approved the 2013 budget and the 2012 financial statements.
During the presentation of the two documents, Arcigay treasurer Matteo Cavalieri, whose work since taking office has focused on "optimizing resources and reducing costs" and "optimizing and seeking economic restructuring for the future," identified among the avenues for future investment: "the national legal aid desk, the purchase of prevention materials, the National Pride Parade in Palermo, and support for local clubs.".
The association then discussed issues of specific interest to the LGBT community, focusing on the need to reconcile the fight for the rights and freedoms of homosexuals, lesbians, and transgender people with the emerging scarcity of resources and the urgent need to find new ways to fund its activities.
The councilors then discussed the possibility of establishing a strategic relationship between Arcigay and the Andos association. The two associations reaffirmed their commitment to working together to promote and develop socialization and entertainment for the LGBT community, and to find new ways to engage their members in issues of health, rights, and visibility. Arcigay and Andos are working to build a shared path and develop proposals that will enable a collaborative relationship.
In his report to the council, Arcigay president Flavio Romani, regarding the political situation, explained: "The February elections had a somewhat unexpected outcome. This unprecedented parliament is the most secular we've ever had in the history of the Republic and could hold very interesting potential for action. The center-left coalition and the Five Star Movement cannot waste this golden opportunity, not only to work on essential reforms for the country, but also to quickly pass the laws we've been calling for for years, especially those on marriage, the extension of the Mancino law against homophobia and transphobia, and the amendment of Law 164/82 for transgender people."“
Among the agenda items discussed and approved was one proposed by councilors Gianpiero Milani and Ottavia Voza, which concerns a project idea for networking LGBT archives. This would facilitate the valorization of the historical heritage produced by the LGBT community in Italy. The association's secretariat has expressed its commitment to seeking funding for this project.
Again at Ottavia Voza's initiative, the association expressed its approval for Arcigay to join the Coordinamento Trans Sylvia Rivera, a group of organizations working together on a solid platform to address the issues faced by transgender people in Italy.
The Council also approved an agenda item from Marco Alessandro Giusta, head of the national secretariat for the territories, regarding the organization of a summer camp modeled on the gay camps organized by the monthly magazine "Babilonia" in the 1980s.
The association's financial statements are available in the transparency section of the Arcigay website at: https://www.arcigay.it/chi-siamo/trasparenza/.