«"For homosexuals and transgender people, Siena must return to what it has been until now: a safe city." This is the first immediate comment from Alessandro Maggi, president of the Pansexual Movement – Siena Gay Promotion Committee, following the news of the attack on a transgender person, apparently by some young Sienese men, which occurred on the night between Friday and Saturday in Piazza del Campo.
«"We don't know the precise details of what happened—to learn more, we're contacting the person who was attacked, who is clearly in shock—but, if the circumstances described in the testimony collected by the Corriere di Siena are confirmed, it's clear that we're facing a very serious incident, the first episode of transphobic violence in our city. This episode must be condemned without any ifs or buts, for at least two reasons: because it is the result of discrimination and hatred against people with a different sexual orientation, a different gender identity, or who have chosen to begin or complete a sex reassignment process; and because it was accompanied by complicit indifference on the part of the many who stood by and watched." The president of the Pansexual Movement, Alessandro Maggi, hopes that a formal complaint will soon be filed and the attackers identified: "We expect a clear, strong, and public response from the institutions against homophobia and transphobia. This condemnation must soon be translated into concrete action. We ask that the motion supporting the anti-homophobia law, which we intend to present shortly, be discussed immediately in the city council. We also ask that an administrative process be initiated to recognize de facto couples through the establishment of a registry or a family registry certificate. We also ask that projects be promoted in schools to prevent homophobic bullying, projects on which our association is already working and for which we are ready to provide all the necessary collaboration. All of this can serve to send a strong signal of condemnation of incidents like this. We need to clearly tell the city and the people of Siena that Siena does not want to be a homophobic city, that homosexuals and transgender people can feel protected and safe here, because they are free citizens like everyone else.
Pan-Sexual Movement, Arcigay Promotion Committee, Province of Siena
