International Day Against Homolesbobitransphobia, Arcigay presents the 2026 report: 127 cases of violence in one year, alarm over grooming on dating apps. Piazzoni: "LGBTQIA+ people in Italy are constantly at risk."“
Bologna, May 15, 2026 – On the occasion of the International Day against Homolesbobitransphobia, Arcigay releases the 2026 report which collects and classifies the incidents of violence, discrimination and hatred against LGBTQIA+ people, symbols and places recorded by the Italian media in the last 12 months (available here (for download). There are 127 episodes, "a figure that paints a picture of a country where hatred is not an exception," says Arcigay Secretary General Gabriele Piazzoni, "but a constant, almost ordinary, presence in the daily lives of those who do not conform to gender and sexual orientation stereotypes.".
The most serious alarm comes from dating apps: the report records at least 14 reports of grooming via chat or dating apps, but each case is actually a collection of multiple violent acts: robberies, beatings, extortion, blackmail. In Treviso, a 42-year-old man was groomed and brutally beaten. In Bergamo and Caserta, chat rooms become a hunting ground for serial assaults. In Padua and Rovigo, gay men are being robbed at their homes. In Bologna and Rimini, couples are organizing to groom victims. The most dramatic incident occurred in Alessandria: two men in their twenties groomed a trans woman via the app, robbed her, and killed her. "The dating app," Piazzoni explains, "which for some people can be a crucial connection channel, has become a hunting ground for individuals who combine hatred, homophobia, and criminal opportunism.".
Violence is not lacking in supposedly safe places or community symbols: rainbow benches are regularly and repeatedly defaced, community spaces, Pride Villages, and nightclubs frequented by the community are preyed upon by those planning vandalism or attacks. The report also details three suicides: a 15-year-old boy in Latina, a 14-year-old trans girl in Ragusa, and the well-known Roman drag queen Bruno Gagliano. And one murder, that of a trans woman killed in Alessandria. There is also deep concern about the condition of LGBTQIA+ people in prison, some of whom have been victims of rape and torture.
“"This report gives us a very clear picture," states Gabriele Piazzoni. "In Italy today, being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer means exposing oneself to a real risk of violence, which cuts across all places and contexts of these people's lives, from clubs to homes, schools, work, prisons, and the apps we use to meet. We're talking about a structural phenomenon that particularly affects trans people and younger people, and which in too many cases leads to suicide or homicide. As Arcigay, we will continue to report every single incident and demand appropriate policies: effective laws against hate crimes, sexual and emotional education in schools, mandatory training for those who work in prisons, healthcare, and law enforcement, and concrete support for victims," concludes Piazzoni.
On May 17, Arcigay, together with Rete Ready (the national network of public administrations fighting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity), joined the "They're Not Just Written" campaign, produced by the LGBTQIA+ associations of Emilia-Romagna and curated by Comunicattive with the support of the Municipality of Bologna and the Emilia-Romagna Region.
