Ten years after the 2001 G8 summit, the important debate on building a global, rights-based, nonviolent, and peaceful Europe, based on cooperation and social solidarity, is resuming in Genoa. After a year of mobilizations involving diverse and diverse social groups (associations, unions, and movements), history is proving those who maintain that a different world is possible right.
Ten years later, Genoa continues to provide rich and important opportunities for encounter and discussion on the themes of democracy, a more economically just world, work and welfare, peace, and respect for and appreciation of differences. This reaffirms that global issues are not the exclusive prerogative of states and governments but call into question the right to self-determination of every human being, the right to decide their own life and future.
For this reason, today Arcigay expresses its solidarity and support for those who decide to take to the streets during the national demonstration in Genoa that will conclude the tenth anniversary.
Because fighting for a more equal society means helping to make the world we live in more welcoming and more open to recognizing and valuing all types of difference, including those related to sexual orientation and gender identity. It means encouraging and promoting the freedom to express one's ideas and identities openly, forcefully affirming the right to full equality among people. It means breaking out of isolation by experimenting with forms of synergy and sharing among the many groups that represent the wind of change our country needs now more than ever, with a view to building a new economy, substantially expanding rights, and promoting a welfare system that truly protects and fosters the free expression and proper development of each person's identities, affections, and life plans.
Paolo Patanè
National President of Arcigay