[:it]196 stories monitored over the last 12 months. The #maqualegender campaign, which attempts to debunk the hoaxes of anti-gender movements, has been launched.r
May 17, 2017 – In the twelve months between May 17, 2016 and today, 196 stories of homotransphobia have been recorded by Arcigay through mass media monitoring, and described in the report that Arcigay releases every year on the occasion of the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. "This number is almost double that of last year and deserves reflection and the search for appropriate interpretations," states Gabriele Piazzoni, national secretary of Arcigay. First of all, the report was compiled by monitoring local and national newspapers and periodicals, as well as major information websites: the stories it reports are therefore those that have passed the news filter, that is, those that have been firstly reported and secondly deemed to be of public interest by information operators. It is therefore not an exhaustive census of the phenomenon, but rather a snapshot that, within the overall phenomenon of homophobia, allows us to distinguish the contexts and forms in which it occurs. It is, in short, a qualitative report that delves into the merits of the narrative of the facts and seeks to identify common traits and trends. Precisely for this reason, the report has been divided into 6 sections: the first is dedicated to the’institutional homophobia and homophobic movements, That is, all cases in which hateful words and actions are perpetrated by an institutional representative, institutional venues, or entities that attempt to package hate speech in "authoritative" containers (such as conferences) so that it is assumed valid by listeners. The report highlights 61 stories in this category, an exorbitant number influenced by two factors: on the one hand, the approval of the law on civil unions, with its trail of "disobedient" mayors who attempted to obstruct its full implementation; on the other, the local elections, which, like any electoral event, produced a significant amount of hate speech, used as a lever for consensus. Institutional homophobia must be closely monitored because it has a knock-on effect on all other forms of hate speech and hate crimes, by virtue of the legitimacy it provides. The 15 stories in the second chapter of the report, dedicated to School: partly these are stories of bullying, aggravated by the phenomenon of cyberbullying, but partly this chapter contains cases in which content pertaining to the rights of LGBTI people was rejected by classes or school administrators, evidently persuaded by the homogenizing rhetoric of institutions and "anti-gender" groups. Schools, therefore, are one of the contexts most affected by the surge in hate speech: in this regard, it is no coincidence that in the last chapter of the report (the one dedicated to hate crimes and hate speech more strictly understood) we see a significant decrease in the age of perpetrators and a spread of the phenomenon of child gangs, often the perpetrators of extremely violent acts. All eyes are on the sport, where the phenomenon of homotransphobia is beginning to be denounced, thus becoming visible. Furthermore, despite the approval of the law on civil unions, there are still cases of discrimination against LGBT people, whether alone or in couples, who are excluded from shops, commercial offers, and places. There are 12 cases, but these are evidently just the tip of the iceberg. The last two categories (i.e. murders they acts and words of hate) contain an unequivocal fact: gays, lesbians, and trans people are still perceived as weak and vulnerable. They are therefore victims of blackmail, robberies, and ambushes. The number of incidents reported by the media indicates an alarming frequency, approximately one case every three days. "Ultimately," Piazzoni comments, "the report paints a picture of a country that is unable to inject effective antibodies against homotransphobia. And it's failing to do so because the political class itself is part of the problem and appears to have no intention of censoring itself. In fact, the bill approved by the Chamber of Deputies has been buried in the Senate for years, with no prospects. And no other legislative initiative is in sight. Then there are the regional laws, which attempt to address the phenomenon's prevention and systematically implement countermeasures: the last to do so this year was Umbria, after a long-running battle. But many regions still haven't adopted this crucial tool." On the occasion of May 17th, Arcigay starts the campaign #maqualegender The campaign directly targets so-called anti-gender movements, homophobic and transphobic movements that have been featured in numerous news stories in the report. The campaign recalls the game of Monopoly and references its famous "unforeseen cards": everyone aspires to be themselves; the only unexpected element in this journey is fear. It's a campaign that seeks to explain, and through words, overcome the phantoms created by those who exploit fear. Among the numerous initiatives Arcigay is organizing on this day across the country, postcards will be distributed linking to the website http://maqualegender.it, where all the phases of the campaign will be structured over the next few months.
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