PRIDE WAVE, PROCEEDINGS IN ALESSANDRIA, MODENA, AND TERNI. PIAZZONI (ARCIGAY): "LET'S NOT FALL INTO THE TRAPS OF RAINBOW POSTERS: A RIGHT-WING OF HATERS."“
Bologna, May 25, 2024 Three Pride parades this weekend will be sharing the energy of Onda Pride, the large-scale demonstration in support of LGBTQ+ rights organized by Arcigay and other local and national associations. Today, Onda will be in Alessandria, with Alessandria Pride at 5:30 pm on the corner of Corso Roma and Corso Crimea; Modena Pride will also take to the streets, starting its parade at 2 pm from Parco Ferrari; and finally, Terni Pride will be in Terni, starting at 3 pm from Piazzale della Rivoluzione Francese. "In recent weeks," says Gabriele Piazzoni, general secretary of Arcigay, "this government's spiral of persecution against LGBTQ+ people has become suffocating. Last year, we already felt the effects of a despicable crusade against the sons and daughters of same-sex couples, with 33 birth certificates cancelled by the Padua Prosecutor's Office. Then this year, a few months ago, the right-wing war broke out against gender-variant adolescents treated at Careggi Hospital in Florence. A pillory that led the families of those kids to chain themselves in front of the AIFA headquarters two days ago. Then, on May 17, precisely on the International Day Against Homolesbobitransphobia, while the Prime Minister was posting suggestive rainbow cards on social media to garner votes in the elections, her government in Europe refused to sign the declaration against homolesbobitransphobia. So let's say it clearly: don't fall for the trap of rainbow cards, This right is homophobic, they are convinced haters. It's clear: this Pride season is not like all the others. It carries within it the anger and protest against the ongoing persecution against us: in registry offices, in Parliament, in hospitals, in health centers. In all the places where the State should welcome us and support us. Therefore, it is essential to organize a vibrant protest, which brings the proudest Pride parades ever to the streets and which calls the LGBTQI+ community to the political practice of voting. A study by the University of Verona measured a 6% higher abstention rate among the LGBTQI+ community than among the rest of the population: well, this trend must be reversed. On June 8th and 9th, we must all go to vote: we are already mobilized on this,“ concludes Piazzoni.
