Yesterday evening, near Piazza del Parlamento, the Honorable Paola Concia of the Democratic Party, hand in hand with her partner Riccarda, was recognized and verbally attacked by an individual who then fled.
Just yesterday the Honourable Concia had sent a video of his support to Europride Rome 2011 (available on the website www.europrideroma.com) in which he remarked, “Rome is a city where, unfortunately, homophobia is on the rise on a daily basis. This is why Europride is important.”.
Three insults were hurled at the only visible lesbian MP in Italy: "You shitty lesbian, you should have been burned in the oven" and "You're disgusting." Paola Concia's reaction, vehemently reminding the attacker of the state of legal impunity that Italian homophobes face in the absence of a just law against homophobia and transphobia, elicited no sympathy from passersby.
The attack humiliates us and hurts us deeply, and it is also politically motivated because the very same MP who has worked so hard to pass a law against homophobia and transphobia is the target of homophobia.
The Italian Parliament brutally rejected that measure, thus making itself complicit with homophobes.
This vile attack affects not only Paola Concia, but the LGBT community and the country and must be condemned at all institutional levels.
Europride Roma 2011 extends its heartfelt solidarity, support, and affection to the Honorable Paola Concia, who will march in Rome on June 11th, also for a law against homophobia and transphobia, a law that is hopelessly delayed in coming and weighs on the irresponsibility of the vast majority of Italian politicians.
The spokespersons for Europride Rome 2011: Paolo Patanè (Arcigay), Rossana Praitano (Mario Mieli Homosexual Cultural Circle), Porpora Marcasciano (MIT)
