From Ezio De Gesu
Head of Arcigay School
Homophobic bullying It's a problem at school. A serious problem that affects many adolescents and impacts their personal well-being, generating serious psychological stress. Many teachers are actively combating this form of violence, but they are often left alone or opposed by schools and parents.
More and more frequently, initiatives aimed at combating homophobia are being hindered by so-called “anti-gender” associations”, who see in such actions a threat to the traditional family, the heterosexist construction of society and the anchoring of the concept of gender to male-female duality. These groups tend to discourage principals and teachers with demonstrative and sometimes intimidating actions, ranging from warning letters to the creation of anti-gender call centers, where they can report teachers intent on combating homophobia in their classrooms.
Various "anti-gender" crusades are raging across the country. An interesting example is what happened at the G. Falcone middle school in Rende on January 18, 2017. During the conference "Let's Talk About Gender, for a New Educational Alliance," Arcigay Eos Cosenza and other local associations distributed an informational flyer to express their disapproval of an initiative organized without discussion. Despite their peaceful intentions, they were denied entry by the principal, who claimed that participation in the event was by invitation only and reserved for parents and teachers. The principal's comment was significant: “In my school, can't I decide to do as I say?”. The principal then called the Carabinieri and, after verifying that no invitation had been given, continued to deny the right to participate, justifying her position with the alleged lack of space in the school building.
All this is happening despite the positions of the Ministry of Education, already expressed in 2015 through a circular sent to schools, in which, defending the law on the Good School, the former minister Giannini forcefully clarified that There is no reference to gender theory in the projects under consideration. The Minister also announced that she will appeal to the appropriate authorities to defend the Ministry of Education from any accusations in this regard. But this is evidently enough: we await a more forceful position from Minister Fedeli, so that the school continues to be a place of inclusion of all differences, strongly condemning any attempt to entrench stereotypes, prejudices and discrimination