October 22, 1981: 43 years of struggle

Today marks the anniversary of the first lesbian flashmob in Italy.

It was October 22, 1981, when a lesbian sit-in was organized in Piazza del Pantheon following the arrest of two young women for kissing in a public park in Agrigento. The national press had briefly reported the incident, which had occurred on October 12: a traffic policeman, following a tip-off from passersby, had accused the two women of engaging in obscene acts in a public place.

The main lesbian groups of the time organized the first exclusively lesbian demonstration in Italy, during which the approximately 200 attendees publicly exchanged a kiss in protest.

For more information, see the Arcigay geopodcast under the dedicated section: