ARCIGAY: "A CLEAR SIGNAL TO MAYORS WHO SPECULATE"“
Bologna, December 8, 2016 The Regional Administrative Court (TAR) has upheld Arcigay Tralaltro Padova's precautionary measure challenging the resolution by former mayor Biitonci's administration, which reserved dedicated days and spaces for same-sex couples to celebrate civil unions. "Bitonci's instructions to the offices responsible for civil unions," commented Mattia Galdiolo, president of Arcigay Tralaltro Padova, "were totally illegitimate and the result of a blatant desire for discrimination. With these instructions, Bitonci has dragged Padua into ridicule, for the sheer pleasure of politically exploiting the lives of its citizens. Arcigay Tralaltro Padova immediately protested, first to the administration and then through legal channels. The granting of our request yesterday restores the city of Padua to a state of legality and finally allows gays and lesbians to fully benefit from an important law. Therefore, we can say that the days of civil unions on weekday mornings are just a thing of the past." "This first ruling by the Administrative Court is already a signal and must be embraced throughout the country," observes Gabriele Piazzoni, national secretary of Arcigay. Already in the first weeks following the approval of the law on civil unions, we began to witness unacceptable speculation by various institutional representatives who, despite the value and authority of their roles and the respect due to the laws of the State, especially those who represent that State, decided to play a squalid game at the expense of gay and lesbian couples, disregarding the correct application of the rules. It is a battle to which these people have even attempted to give political value, improvising arguments from illiterate public administration, with the sole aim of poorly camouflaging their trivial homophobia. While awaiting the final ruling of the Regional Administrative Court, we hope that this first signal will be sufficient to call all the mayors, fortunately not many, who have decided to take this path to the proper performance of their duties. And above all, we hope that the work of the judiciary will lead to the definition once and for all of the primacy of the principle of non-discrimination, enshrined in Article 3 of our Constitution, and to the definitive shame administrators who violate the founding pact,“ concludes Piazzoni.
