On Facebook, you can find her under the name Carmen Asterisco Ferrara, and "Asterisco" serves precisely to highlight her openly queer nature. Carmen is a young Neapolitan student and the delegate for queer politics for the Arcigay Antinoo Provincial Committee of Naples. She launched the viral #maqualegender campaign on social media.
Those who follow the young Carmen on social media or are aware of her struggles know how much effort she invests in spreading the urgency of deconstructing stereotypes and gender roles: dismantling conventions and prejudices is a cultural, as well as political and civil, issue.
The viral campaign #maqualegender, launched by Carmen, re-proposes an old propaganda image of Forza Nuova, one of the many promoted by the neo-fascist group to sow terror and prejudice against LGBT people. The image of a girl shaving, complete with shaving foam and razor, used to stigmatize the spread of a supposed gender theory in schools, is taken up and personalized by Carmen to dismantle preconceptions and to bring out a different and fluid identity, which goes beyond categories and clichés.
The #maqualegender campaign has seen participation and engagement far beyond Carmen's own expectations. "Every day I see the need to deconstruct gender stereotypes among so many people," says Carmen Ferrara, "and I hope this campaign can help unite and unite those who feel the need to challenge the forced normalization of the heteronormative and castrating social system we live in.".
Many people have joined the campaign. Among them, we remember Ottavia Voza (Arcigay National Delegate for Transgender People and President of the Arcigay Salerno Provincial Committee) and Daniela Lourdes Falanga (Arcigay Naples Delegate for Transgender People and President of the Arcigay Campania Rainbow Committee).
