The complaint was filed by lawyers from Arcigay Friuli in support of a gay couple from Pordenone who had been denied the Regional First Home Grant.
ARCIGAY FRIULI:
APPEAL FILED AGAINST THE REGION
And President Renzo Tondo will receive the Arcigay Friuli delegation on Wednesday, April 10, in Udine.
Deperu, President of Arcigay Friuli, launches an appeal to President Tondo:
”"Friuli Venezia Giulia doesn't deserve this terrible image! The Region must immediately take action to overturn this objectively flawed and discriminatory measure, immediately recognizing the rights of the gay couple from Pordenone."”
Meanwhile, all politicians are responding to Arcigay's appeals.
Meetings with the main candidates for the upcoming elections have begun:
Galluccio, Serracchiani, Honsell, Ioan…
The case caused a stir and made national headlines. A gay couple from Pordenone had been denied the Regional First Home Grant (provided for married couples, cohabiting couples, and even single citizens) because their homosexuality did not make them "eligible." This was the bold interpretation put forward by Mediocredito and the regional offices.
Giacomo Deperu, President of Arcigay Friuli "Nuovi Passi" Udine and Pordenone, is unequivocal: "This is a clear case of institutional homophobia that casts a shadow of discredit on our region." This is a discriminatory act that the Pordenone couple has no intention of accepting, strengthened by the March 2012 ruling by the Supreme Court of Cassation, which clarified that, precisely because they are unable to marry, gay couples in these cases should be treated similarly to married couples. Arcigay Friuli's legal representative, Francesco Furlan, recently filed an appeal against the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region with the Regional Administrative Court.
The association, in addition to offering free legal assistance to the couple, will support their appeal "ad adiuvandum" in support of the widespread social and cultural interest this ruling will generate. "And in support of many same-sex couples who, in the recent past," Deperu emphasizes, "have been discouraged by the same offices from applying for this assistance: 'You're gay, you can't,' was the erroneous implication!".
The outcry surrounding this case has in fact brought to light other similar cases in the region, gay couples who, resigned, did not even present their documents or were unaware of the possibility of reporting the incident.
And the President of Arcigay Friuli launches an appeal to President Tondo, in view of the meeting on Wednesday 10 April which will be held at 12:00 in Udine in Viale Duodo, at the electoral committee of the candidate for the Region:
”"Friuli Venezia Giulia doesn't deserve this terrible image! The Region must immediately intervene, as is its power, in self-defense to overturn this objectively erroneous and discriminatory measure, immediately recognizing the rights of the gay couple from Pordenone!"”
“"It's the social and institutional culture that must change," Giacomo Deperu continues. "We must no longer beg for our rights, but demand them. We make concrete proposals, we demand concrete answers: this is why we will meet with the main candidates in the upcoming elections, so that our demands for civility become a reality in their platforms."”
This appeal appears to have been very successful: Arcigay Friuli's meetings with the main candidates begin on Monday, April 8th, at 8:30 PM at Caffè Caucigh in Udine, with M5S candidate Saverio Galluccio. This will be followed by a public meeting with the outgoing Mayor of Udine, Furio Honsell, on Tuesday the 9th at 4:30 PM at La Feltrinelli, and a private meeting with center-right municipal candidate Adriano Ioan, also in Udine, on Thursday, April 11th. The series of public meetings will conclude with the Honorable Debora Serracchiani, who will meet with Arcigay Friuli on Monday, April 15th at 8:45 PM in the Civic Library of Pordenone, the city where this battle began, perhaps marking the history of civil rights in our region.