Open letter to RAI executives. Arcigay: The anti-homophobia ad must air.
To RAI President Anna Maria Tarantola,
To the RAI Director General Luigi Gubitosi,
Mr. President and Mr. Director General,
Several media outlets are reporting today that the anti-homophobia advert titled "Yes to differences, no to homophobia" and broadcast by the Department for Equal Opportunities starting in January would not be shown on your channels.
The commercial, commissioned by Minister Elsa Fornero as part of a national strategy to combat violence and discrimination against homosexual and transgender people, and produced with UNAR and in close collaboration with Italian LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) associations, is among the first public works ever produced to offer a valuable contribution to the valorization of diversity and the fight against homophobia and transphobia.
It would be a real shame if public resources invested for the benefit of all were to be squandered by our RAI. Paradoxically, the censorship of that commercial by your broadcasters, and aired by the press, would be an act of homophobia, the very homophobia that that product is intended to counter.
In the recent past, our company has already borne witness to an opaque and impermeable work in the representation of homosexuality, for example, by censoring an affectionate gay kiss in the film "Brokeback Mountain." That kiss is considered one of the most important in the history of cinema. We were confident that RAI's technicians had caught up with the times.
We are therefore asking for reassurances regarding the screening of the video on your channels and for a clear schedule regarding the airing of the advert against homophobia.
Thanking you for your attention, we send you our best regards.
Flavio Romani, president of Arcigay
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RAI responds
Dear Dr. Romani,
Below is the link to the company press release released a few minutes ago
Best regards
RAI Press Office Sector