The assembly of the territorial committee of Arcigay Valle d'Aosta has decided, on the proposal of the board, to name the association after André Zanotto, historian, journalist and writer from the Aosta Valley, among the first visible transgender people in Italy and a figure deeply rooted in the history and autonomy of the Aosta Valley.
The decision was made public on Sunday 9 November, during the meeting “The Heritage of André Zanotto – 30 years of pride”, held in the Ducal Hall of the Town Hall of Aosta, under the patronage of the Municipality, in front of a large audience that packed the room.
The dedication takes place on the thirtieth anniversary of André Zanotto's death and forty years after his historic coming out, as a sign of recognition towards a figure who, with his life and his work, represented an example of freedom, culture and civil courage.
André Zanotto (1933–1995) was a leading figure in 20th-century Aosta Valley culture. Winner of the Saint-Vincent Prize in 1956, she collaborated with numerous regional publications and cultural institutions, making a decisive contribution to the promotion of the Aosta Valley's historical and artistic heritage.
In 1985, she came out as a trans woman, asserting her identity in a still-hostile historical and social context, and becoming a pioneer of trans visibility in Italy. She did so while remaining in the Aosta Valley, choosing to live her identity openly in the very space where she had grown up and built her cultural work.
«Particularly in this current historical moment — underlines President Giulio Gasperini — naming our association after André Zanotto means forcefully reaffirming that the oppressive, violent, and discriminatory policies against T* people concern the entire queer community, because there can be no liberation without for every subjectivity.
This decision also underscores our desire, also in light of “Aosta Capital of Arcigay Culture 2027,” to give visibility and prominence to the queer history of the Aosta Valley, so as not to forget—concludes Gasperini—that even in this small corner of the world there have been courageous people who not only asserted themselves but who paved the way and conquered spaces of freedom for anyone who came after.
The announcement of the dedication was also greeted with great emotion by Elisa Zanotto, actress and André's granddaughter: «In recent years, the association has worked passionately to bring my grandmother out of the shadows into which she had fallen, valorizing her role as a trans woman, historian and journalist, but also as a family member, an emotional figure, and as a grandmother.
This dedication moves me and fills me with pride: André Zanotto was an unforgettable figure, a source of inspiration for the strength with which he asserted himself and the courage with which he lived his own identity.
I hope that his story continues to inspire, but also that journeys like his no longer have to be exceptional achievements, but rather experiences accessible to all people.".
With this choice, the association intends to commemorate Zanotto's memory and forcefully reaffirm its commitment to the freedom, dignity, and safety of trans* people and all marginalized individuals. At a time when hate campaigns and anti-trans rhetoric are becoming increasingly aggressive, calling fundamental rights, existences, and truths into question, André Zanotto's legacy of courage, attention to minorities and their narratives, and freedom remains more relevant than ever: naming the association after him means choosing which side to take, today as every day.
