XV National Arcigay Congress

RIGHTS TO HAPPINESS’

Motion for the XV National Arcigay Congress
connected to the candidacy of
Flavio Romani, National President, and Gabriele Piazzoni, National Secretary

The 15th National Congress of Arcigay coincides with our thirty-year history, three decades during which we have changed the country through cultural work, visibility, and the full affirmation of LGBT people. We now find ourselves holding our Congress at a historically decisive moment for the battles that have always been at the heart of our reason for existence: the extension and full equality of civil rights, the fight against homophobia, the quality of life for homosexual and transgender people, and, in this context, the fight against stigma towards HIV+ people.

Arcigay is the only LGBT organization with a deeply rooted national presence and a comprehensive commitment to LGBT issues. It encompasses a wide range of activities that impact the lives of gay people, from political to social, from services and assistance to recreational activities, from culture to education, as well as health and prevention.

The institutional legacy that Arcigay has built over 30 years of work serving the LGBT community in our country, while on the one hand guaranteeing the authority of our organization, on the other hand burdening us with a great responsibility towards LGBT citizens whose requests and needs are at the basis of our existence.

Given the current situation in the country, marked by intense scrutiny and conflict over the extension of civil rights and the recognition of differences, Arcigay is tasked with strengthening its action, including through profound changes, to increase its ability to influence public opinion and political, social, and economic organizations, ultimately leading to full recognition of the equality of all citizens.

After the Ferrara Congress and the period of extreme conflict that preceded it, the President and the Secretary were able to find substantial internal peace and, despite all the limitations of the current situation, they demonstrated that they carried out their duties in a full spirit of service towards the association and its members.

Over the past three years, starting from a situation of profound economic and organizational weaknesses, some of which persist, Arcigay has nevertheless managed to overcome its debt and achieve substantial financial equilibrium by optimizing costs despite an overall decrease in revenue. It has also succeeded in finding new funding channels to launch specific campaigns ("You Start Making Europe" and "The Same Love, the Same Rights, #lostessosi"), with widespread and effective dissemination in stimulating public opinion throughout Italy. A national Pride wave has been activated in synergy with other organizations.

Despite these positive developments, we need to further strengthen our ability to define a political strategy and implement it cohesively through shared decision-making, enhancing the association's communication skills to have a more powerful impact on the national political and cultural debate.

In order to preserve the spirit of cohesion while providing the organizational momentum we believe is necessary, we believe it essential that the new mandate be necessarily linked to an operational working team and a clear restructuring of Arcigay's governance roles through their effective modulation in the new Statute.

This Congress must emerge as a strengthened and united Association, capable of relaunching its work, aware that its role at this historic moment is crucial to the future of equality, freedom, and the lives of Italian LGBT citizens. For this reason, the Association must further develop its LGBT identity, which must also be reflected in the organization of Pride Parades and all other organized events.

This motion is intentionally synthetic and operational because, precisely because of its tendency towards unity and the relaunching of Arcigay's action, it wants to avoid stifling the debate by placing its own vision on the whole of human knowledge, but would like to allow a real congressional debate, in which the presentation of documents of

political direction and additional contributions during the congress proceedings, coming from both the territorial congresses and the elaborations of the delegates at the national assembly in Naples on 13-15 November.

We will therefore limit ourselves to stating our political vision on what we consider to be the essential pillars of our action, and then focus on the organizational structure of Arcigay, which we believe is necessary to implement in light of the current situation and the economic, organizational, and human resources from which we begin:

Equal marriage

The fight for full equality of rights is at this moment in history the mother of all battles for the LGBT movement in our country.

Ending discrimination in access to marriage, with full recognition of all the rights and duties currently afforded to heterosexual couples, is the primary goal we wish to achieve. This goal is "primary" in the sense that it raises the issue of equality with the utmost force, but it does not exhaust the various lines of social, cultural, and political action we must pursue. Equal marriage has also become, within a geopolitical framework, the defining characteristic of modern, liberal democracies. It is no coincidence, in fact, that the very restriction of LGBT rights is used, for example in Uganda, Russia, and other parts of the world, to distance oneself from liberal democracies in favor of authoritarian and illiberal forms of government. With the debate on LGBT marriage rights, Italy must decide which side of the fence it will stand on, and we naturally want (for the greater good, not just for our own rights) for it to stand within European and Atlantic democracies, not among illiberal theocracies. A society of “free and equal people,” as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, is a society in which global well-being and the social capital of mutual trust increase for all.

To date, a substantial divide remains within Italian public opinion between those in favor and those against the extension of rights, with a growing majority of those in favor. This percentage, however, drops significantly when the issue of parenthood for same-sex couples is included. This factor should lead us to work to better inform the public on this issue, drawing on existing realities in other countries and dozens of studies in this field.

We must recognize that we are in a better situation than we were even three, five, or ten years ago, when public opinion was decidedly more hostile or disinterested than it is today.

We must therefore ask ourselves what elements and actions we were able to implement to reach this situation.

The efforts made towards the most peripheral branches of the State, the municipalities, have been decisive. Much of the public has actually begun to question the issue of recognizing the rights of same-sex couples through local debates, sparked by the establishment, in many municipalities across the country, of Civil Union Registries. This is a tool that, as we know, is limited exclusively to services provided by the municipality that establishes it, but it is a crucial tool for sparking debate at the local level, which then spills over to the national level. The commitment of some mayors to register same-sex marriages contracted abroad has also played a key role in this regard. In some cities, Arcigay itself has urged mayors and given media coverage to the contradiction of an Italy light years away from the Europe of rights.

We must now continue to raise public awareness and develop the theme of "full equality of rights" through structured and effective campaigns, so that it becomes "obvious" for any political party to say "yes" to something that is now obvious and common knowledge: full equality for all citizens in terms of family life.

From a political perspective, it is necessary to forge alliances on this issue with the country's major social and trade union groups (both workers' and employers'). These can significantly contribute to supporting the pressure on institutions and political parties and engaging public opinion on the need to address this flaw in our country. Above all, Arcigay must become a symbol of freedom and secularism and do everything possible to gain the support of people not directly affected by our concerns, but who identify with us and our need for freedom, dignity, and rights. This should be a central plank of at least one Arcigay campaign, as it would generate social consensus and even increase "solidarity" membership, which would be beneficial from every perspective.

From a media perspective, we need to invest heavily in simple yet timely and effective communication, even aggressive when necessary, that allows us to convey a profound and immediate message through a few words and symbols (e.g., the #lostessosì con il cuore con l'guagliare campaign) that convey a strong and clear message in a way that is easily understood by everyone. This message must become mainstream if we are to achieve our goal. The #lostessosì campaign for equal marriage is both a communications effort aimed at convincing the undecided and engaging heterosexuals who share our struggle, and a coalition-building effort with the explicit goal of broadening social alliances well beyond the confines of the LGBTI movement. Arcigay has already invested heavily in this initiative, which has garnered interest and consensus at multiple levels, and it is now necessary to better define the direction of this dual operation.

Countering homophobia and transphobia

The data on numerous incidents of homophobic and transphobic violence and discrimination, while vastly underestimated compared to the actual phenomenon, paints a picture of a country still deeply pervaded by a heterosexist, chauvinistic, and conservative culture that struggles to accept the profound changes underway. The increase in discrimination and violence should be interpreted as a growing conflict between those who resist LGBT people's desire for visibility and social and legal acceptance, and the increasingly strong desire of LGBT people themselves to come out of hiding and live their lives, their way of being, and their loved ones fully and in the open.

This increase in conflict as a direct result of the exponential increase in the visibility of LGBT people and their growing unwillingness to suffer abuse and discrimination cannot lead us to take steps backwards or to be timid, “Freedom is not free”.

Despite these sometimes horrific and incomprehensible incidents, we must continue our long-standing support for LGBT people's coming out, and we must mount a decisive response to the cultural offensive waged by fundamentalist and reactionary Catholic movements. Skilled manipulators and distorters of reality, they speak of plots to homosexualize the world and indoctrinate children in "gender ideology." This is a clever rhetorical device to target and isolate a minority, attributing to them a dark and dangerous plot, designed to dissuade them from the support of the majority of citizens and thus allow them to continue their oppression of rights and social marginalization unchecked.

The reactionary apparatus deployed by the "anti-gender" movement is spreading, especially in countries like Italy and France, and must be taken very seriously because it has distant, profound, and accurate origins. The invention of "gender ideology" in the early 2000s was the Catholic Church's reaction to the documents discussed and approved during the International Conference on Population and Development (organized by the United Nations in Cairo in 1994) and the World Conference on Women (convened by the UN the following year in Beijing). The invention of "gender ideology," which began as a response by the most extremist segments of the Catholic world to women's self-determination, and its recent use against homosexuals and their families, is nothing other than the contemporary re-enactment of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion and the Judeo-Pluto-Masonic conspiracy used to target the Jewish minority in the last century.

This strategy, skillfully crafted to serve as a tool for countering the expansion of rights and social acceptance of LGBT people, is based on two cornerstones: a "more modern" reformulation of women's subjugation to men, which becomes the "natural complementarity" of the sexes, and a continued caricaturing and stigmatization of its adversaries, including scientific research on the sexual order. Over the next three years, Arcigay must prioritize outlining and implementing a clear and comprehensive strategy across all levels (communicative, institutional, and political) to dismantle and deconstruct the "anti-gender" backlash and restore it to its true dimension: that of intolerant, misogynistic, and mystifying religious fanaticism.

We cannot passively accept the social legitimacy of discrimination and cultural backwardness, especially in educational institutions, where the communication strategy of the most backward segment of the country is making inroads, exploiting fear and ignorance.

We must continue our work to combat homophobia through:

• Direct political action with public demonstrations of our demands through structured national campaigns of political mobilization by our local committees and their activists. Key dates for the LGBT community, such as the International Day Against Homophobia, the TDoR, Holocaust Remembrance Day, and Pride parades, must be moments to decisively relaunch the issue of combating homophobia, seeking the collaboration and support of institutions, political circles, trade unions, and associations.

• Denouncing and condemning all those situations where homophobia and transphobia thrive: schools, workplaces, churches, hospitals, demonstrations, institutions, politics... Denouncing and exposing oneself to widespread social condemnation are leverage points that can allow us to move from a weak and defensive position to a strong and aggressive one against discrimination.
• Cultural outreach in schools, aimed at both students and teachers, given that LGBT adolescents in particular struggle with finding reliable information and positive role models, while also being easily exposed to homonegative attitudes in school and extracurricular settings (family, peer groups, sports clubs, etc.). School is the age when people typically become aware of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity, so it's important to do everything possible to ensure these young LGBT people have good proximal role models they can identify with, and not delegate the role of role model solely to famous people, mostly designers, singers, and actors. We need to convey the message that being respectable and appreciated doesn't require becoming a superstar or only doing certain types of work, and we can do this primarily by supporting real, everyday, high-value role models, such as those found in high schools—proximal role models young people can identify with. Added to this is the embarrassment and superficiality with which educational institutions and the mass media often address LGBT issues, which pushes gay girls and boys (or those perceived as such) to see themselves as extras in their relationships. The stigmatization and sense of vulnerability to which gay and bisexual adolescents are exposed can often lead to a decline in self-esteem and social skills, as well as increased concerns for their safety. Unfortunately, school is often a breeding ground for prejudice and consequent discrimination against all those who do not conform to widely accepted social models and correspond to misleading stereotypes. Even those who discriminate have the right to educational intervention to change their negative attitudes and participate in building a safe and welcoming environment for all. The greatest challenge facing Arcigay in the coming years is combating all forms of discrimination within schools by conducting curricular and extracurricular workshops to prevent bullying, educate on respect for others, and train school staff. These workshops can only be effective and productive through the prior training of local staff, with the aim of establishing dedicated "school groups" within the various committees or, at the very least, achieving a consistent level of expertise across the country. In parallel with the training, it is necessary to continue maintaining relationships with the Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR) to monitor homophobia in Italian schools and develop targeted actions to combat this phenomenon. Above all, it is necessary to secure and assert opportunities for action against those who currently seek to prevent the discussion of homophobic, transphobic, sexual orientation, and gender identity bullying in schools.;
• Pressure local political institutions by leveraging the good work done in recent years (e.g., the Ready Network) and proposing new forms of engagement to disseminate best practices and hold institutions accountable for this phenomenon. Institutions, especially local ones, have great social and symbolic value and must be involved in our activities as much as possible. The regions in particular, following those where regional laws against discrimination and/or homophobia and transphobia have already been passed, must become a forum for initiating systemic actions.
• Engagement of the economic, labor, and business sectors in combating discrimination; in this context, we must propose protocols with the dual purpose of achieving inclusive and anti-discrimination internal policies within companies and supporting our political demands. We must recognize the contribution and decisive role that union and business support has played in other countries in promoting civil rights and the fight against discrimination. It is important to consider that the labor market provides direct access to a segment of society we have previously overlooked.

Cultural difference and transformation

As also emerged from the organizing conference, it is also crucial to continue the work of cultural transformation through a critique of heteronormative society, the valorization of differences, and actions that give visibility to the radical human needs that define our demands, beyond the "normative solution" proposed by "marriage" or similar. The lives and experiences of LGBT people have historically been, and often still are, transformative of values and perspectives, and this is a heritage that should not be sacrificed on the altar of equality.

The society we live in is founded on heteronormative, patriarchal, sexist, and binary principles that are difficult to dismantle. These principles, in addition to having shaped the framework of the traditional family as we know it today, also produce negative stereotypes and discrimination against LGBTI people as individuals and as communities, on multiple levels. Our task is also to continue working to deconstruct and change these principles and stereotypes, starting with the issue of binarism, which currently encompasses only the male and female genders and generates prejudice and discrimination against everything that falls outside this stereotypical framework (intersex people, trans people, and all those who do not fit the gender roles and expressions imposed by the current socio-cultural construct).

While it's true that cultural and regulatory victories regarding rights and equality teach us that capturing shared values and using them to one's advantage can be an effective way to win that specific battle, it's also true that this strategy, if it's the only one deployed for action, risks once again obscuring the issue of difference and individuality in our country. Therefore, there's a keenly felt need to engage in the socio-cultural and political debate with the goal of achieving a society that is fully non-judgmental and respectful of each person's unique characteristics (sexual orientation, gender identity, geographic origin, class, religion, etc.), even as individuals. The full inclusion of LGBTI people in society occurs when the kaleidoscope of each individual's differences is addressed, so that they are no longer used as a source of discrimination, but valued as a shared wealth.

Recovering and enhancing the historical and cultural heritage of the Italian LGBT movement and its community, with a specific focus on the dialectic between "liberation" and "normalization" and societal changes, could be an interesting area to focus on over the next three years in the cultural sphere with specific projects.

Health, well-being and services

Health, understood as the well-being of LGBT people, cannot be overlooked by an organization like ours. Health understood as both physical and psychological and social well-being.

It is more essential than ever to continue and increase efforts to combat the spread of sexually transmitted infections, with a particular focus on combating HIV through a clear approach of combined prevention, recognizing that free sexuality must necessarily be responsible and informed. We must work to increase access to screening and diagnostic tests, seeking collaboration with health authorities and institutional engagement (in bodies in which Arcigay participates, such as the Consulta delle Associazioni per la lotta contro l'AIDS and the National Commission), in our relationships with other associations (Plus, Lila, Nadir, NPS), and in our engagement with the community. The implementation of a community-based HIV testing strategy managed directly by the association will be the core of the strategy for the next three years. The new wave of HIV infections, significantly affecting MSM (men who have sex with men), cannot leave us indifferent, and the chronicity of the infection must see us as protagonists of a radically inclusive vision of HIV-positive people: not only in support and assistance against social marginalization, or in managing treatment, but also in destigmatizing HIV-positive people and HIV-discordant relationships. The extremely limited visibility of HIV-positive people in the association

An organization like Arcigay must finally address the issue of providing direct and indirect support for research into both the cure and the eradication of the virus, the latter area of research that has been decidedly neglected in recent years.

"Caring" for LGBT people, however, has a broader meaning and is logically linked to the continuation of our comprehensive work for rights and the fight against discrimination. The stress to which people forced to hide their homosexuality in their family, social, and work environments are subjected ultimately impacts their quality of life (minority stress). Our work to bring gay people out is a fundamental part of both the path to full social acceptance of LGBT people and the recovery of full independence.

The availability of freedom and quality of life for those who decide to emerge from invisibility. However, it must always be crystal clear that visibility should not be a prerequisite for joining or supporting Arcigay, because ours are battles for freedom, for the rights of all, regardless of their beliefs and personal circumstances. Even those who haven't found the strength to come out and claim their rights have the right to be represented and protected. It is Arcigay's precise duty to cover the full spectrum of situations where hardship, discrimination, and the lack or denial of rights exist.

The broad context of health as well-being therefore also includes social protection for LGBT people affected by social marginalization primarily due to the crisis (people left homeless or unemployed), which is compounded, or even multiplied, by marginalization due to LGBT people (lack of family protection). It is important to revisit the needs of LGBTI people and work to ensure that we don't limit ourselves to demanding civil rights alone, but instead address the full scope of the actual enjoyment of those social rights that contribute to a person's overall well-being. The lack of these rights is less evident in the LGBTI community, but it contributes to distancing LGBTI people—as individuals, couples, or groups—from the goal of full substantive equality.

In this area, for example, we have several local experiences, from Arcigay Bologna with Avvocato di strada, which conducted an interesting study that could form the basis of new action strategies, to Arcigay Rome, which contributed to the construction, with the support of the Red Cross, of the "LGBT Refuge," the first LGBT shelter, to Arcigay Perugia, Palermo, and Turin with the "Gruppo sordi" (Deaf Group). But there are many other local experiences in the general context of needs, vulnerabilities, and services. Starting from these local experiences, it is now a priority, on the one hand, to refocus and structure our perspective on the concrete needs and vulnerabilities faced by LGBTI people with their multiple differences, and on the other, to work seriously to systematize a series of high-quality services guaranteed by the association's national brand. In this context, training becomes central, becoming a fundamental tool for the growth of committees and volunteers, also with a view to professionalizing volunteering through specific programs. While Arcigay does not provide services at the national level, it can coordinate, harmonize, and inform those it does have locally through networking and joint training.

Arcigay Governance Organization

• the new statute must rationalize the roles and efficiently and functionally reorganize the political, control and guarantee roles between the President and the Secretary;
• In the new statute, the National President is the legal representative of Arcigay. He convenes and chairs the National Council to ensure the proper conduct and legitimacy of the democratic processes of the body where Arcigay reaches a consensus on the political issues affecting our field of action, where the strategic lines that Arcigay wishes to follow are defined, and where direction and control over the work of the Secretariat are exercised.;
• In the new statute, the National Secretary must play a role of political management and representation, coordinating the work of the National Secretariat and developing and projecting the political line of the association externally, the result of the synthesis of internal democratic discussion regarding the different issues and themes that affect Arcigay's field of action. Secretariat

• Each member of the secretariat, depending on the objectives to be achieved, must be able to draw on the expertise already widely available within our local committees. These individuals form a working team with which to collaborate and implement Arcigay's projects in various areas.;
• Within the general policy framework, each member of the Secretariat with specific responsibilities should explicitly state objectives and timelines for implementation, in a thematic area-by-area vision that is not binding but always provides a reference point for the direction the association is taking, allowing for periodic evaluation of results;

• The Secretariat must be effective and functional to Arcigay's political line, therefore the National Secretary must ensure its full functioning, suggesting, if necessary, additions or replacements among the members of the National Council.

National Council and Association Structure

• The National Council is the place where our organization reaches a consensus on the political issues affecting our field of action and where the strategic guidelines that Arcigay wishes to pursue are defined, obviously exercising its role of guidance and oversight over the Secretariat's work. Therefore, it is important to adapt its functioning to allow all members to participate and contribute. Routine implementation of the established political line, however, should not be carried out by the National Council. This requires an operational and functional Secretariat with a large work team capable of reporting on its activities.;
• In this way, the National Council could evaluate the Secretariat's work and, if necessary, redirect its policy. It is also necessary to implement a method of dialogue between the Secretariat and the territories, which would require less costly travel for everyone. A member of the Secretariat could periodically meet with the Committees representing a given territorial area (Northeast, Northwest, Center, South) in meetings where decisions are explained and opinions, suggestions, and ideas are gathered.
• Arcigay must return to considering all its components as fundamental to achieving its goals, without neglecting the provincial organizations, characterized by small committees, which are most in need of national assistance and support, both in terms of operational expertise and in the impact of Arcigay's strong and authoritative image.Objectives

• Once the overall strategic vision has been defined, all the objectives and actions to be implemented in the various areas must be derived from it, with a real plan that must become an innovative and central element of Arcigay's entire organizational structure, starting with a dedicated figure, right down to the aspects more related to reporting on results;
• It is necessary to define clear objectives based on the desired priorities, which must be concretely achievable within defined timeframes and therefore assessable. It is around these objectives that the Secretariat's work and the team (if possible, partially professionalized) that will work to concretely implement the actions must be built;
• The planning and programming of actions/initiatives aimed at achieving the objectives must take place through a three-year strategic planning and an annual operational/tactical planning in order to gather consensus and give the committees time to join and participate.Political/institutional lobbying and communication

• it is one of Arcigay's priority objectives and to achieve this strategy it is necessary to invest in the training of activists;
• succeed in effectively lobbying institutions, which must always be involved as representatives of civil and common life, and parliamentarians, as well as in actions to counter emerging homophobic movements in the area;
• At this crucial time for our rights and the fight against homophobic movements, it is essential to return to national media (TV, radio, and newspapers) through specific strategies—dedicated individuals within the Secretariat or externally qualified and appropriately qualified individuals—to ensure our association's presence in mainstream media outlets. It is essential to be present in person where public opinion on the issue of homophobia and denied rights is formed, as representatives of those who suffer from these phenomena.;

• Study a coordinated and coherent communication plan to be implemented directly towards the public opinion through the internet and social networks, a direct communication tool that we can use effectively, both in the fields of political communication, visibility, and fundraising to serve our strategic planning.

Membership

• The new statute must recognize the natural persons registered with member associations as the associative body of Arcigay, who participate in the life of the national association through the member associations themselves, thus restoring full legitimacy and recognition to the national membership card as a symbol of belonging to a national social body and the existence of a national political level of Arcigay;
• It is necessary to proceed with the technological updating of the membership system that meets the needs of today's membership policies, taking into account the needs of both small and large committees, while ensuring the flexibility necessary for any future developments and needs in this area;
• the Arcigay membership card must, in addition to strengthening its political value as a symbol of freedom and secularism, also be able to be a tool for visibility, through work with other circuits (e.g. Arci), ensuring that Arcigay members are interested in renewing and in "using" their card in areas other than political activism and the recreational circuit (agreement with associations, but also national commercial chains).Coordinated actions in the territories

• National coordination of local actions should not be imposed, but rather the result of a sensible and shared strategy, as widely as possible. It should take into account the specificities of the various committees, building a proposal for action and practices to be implemented in the local areas that is as modular as possible, so as to be effective and functional for both small, medium, and large committees.
• Arcigay National must gather the experiences and operational knowledge developed by the various Committees to create synergies and share best practices across territories, for example by creating "manuals" (e.g., on how to lobby institutions, training courses in schools, etc.) that can be adopted as the result of experience and practical advice.
• We must continue to encourage the creation of Regional Coordination Committees among territorial committees, given the need to interact as effectively as possible with regional institutions and their growing legislative powers in many of the areas in which we operate.
• Arcigay must be able to grasp the benefits that can arise from the creation of Thematic Coordination Groups and Networks (for women, transgender people, HIV-positive people, young people, lawyers, and recreational venues). These networks can be of great benefit to the organization as a whole, both in developing its own political positions on specific issues that require in-depth analysis by qualified and competent individuals, and in areas where a specific and dedicated approach can be more beneficial in engaging individuals and activating them to serve the work of our Territorial Committees.
• This year, Arcigay's youth policy division will celebrate its tenth anniversary. Over time, different visions and structures regarding youth policy management have evolved, but always with the understanding that it is a strategic axis for the Association as a whole. Young people have proven to be a fundamental resource for the association, carving out their own identity while maintaining the absolute awareness of being an integral part of a single, organic national association. The Arcigay Giovani Network therefore represents added value for the entire association because it allows us to directly reach young people, who are the main resource in an association as strongly characterized by volunteerism as ours. Therefore, the network's ability to reach new people and work with them with a view to individual and collective empowerment is of primary importance, not only to train future leaders but also to ensure a smooth and painless generational transition. The role of the Arcigay Giovani Network, however, does not end with the involvement of new members. Thanks to its collaborative work with Arcigay, it has increased its pressure on student and youth associations, universities, schools, and local and national institutions involved in youth policy. At the local level, it is essential to continue encouraging the creation of Youth Groups among local committees, thus providing new energy to the committees. To achieve these goals, it is important to improve the structure of the Arcigay Giovani Network, encouraging meetings to gather and share experiences from individual committees and member associations. This will enhance the enormous resources within Arcigay and reduce the gap between the Center and the Periphery, which too often leads to exclusion from full membership. To ensure continuity of the work accomplished thus far, both locally and nationally, and to increase its effectiveness, greater accountability and structure are needed within the Arcigay Giovani Network. This will enable it to develop new strategies by and for LGBT youth, consistently aligned and in synergy with Arcigay's governing and advisory bodies. It is therefore proposed to provide the Arcigay Giovani Network with a stable coordination group, thus consolidating the structure established over the last three years.

Economic sustainability and accountability

• It is necessary to plan and implement more fundraising campaigns that are the foundation of serious and credible projects, to gain the trust of those willing to donate, both our activists and our local organizations, who must see firsthand how their commitment in this direction is instrumental in achieving our goals and generates economic benefits in terms of support, services, and materials available to the Territorial Committees.;
• A structured and planned campaign that enhances our ability to tap into funds freely donated by citizens, through the 5×1000 opportunity, can be a valuable tool for implementing fundraising efforts for our activities;
• We must increase our efforts to implement projects and participate in funding calls, re-establishing a technical team of designers capable of effectively carrying out this task, coordinated by a programming manager;
• Our ability to function effectively as a nationwide organization is essential for participating in the procurement of funding on a programmatic and project-based basis from public institutions and national and supranational foundations. Establishing a programming manager is essential to achieving this goal.;
• The establishment of a thematic recreational coordination group, even in collaboration with other associations, if done with mutual transparency and clarity and with a structure suited to this purpose, could strengthen our ability to engage LGBT people, especially those who would not approach Arcigay directly but who are a broad part of the spectrum of (sometimes unexpressed) needs that Arcigay must necessarily address in its work. Furthermore, by offering adequate services and cultural activities, it would provide a decisive contribution to our organization's economic needs.
• Finally, over the next three years, the association must establish a clear and regular reporting system for its results, including the programs it implements, the resources it uses, and the outcomes. The gradual introduction of social reporting formats, particularly in light of the potential mandatory reform of the third sector, is a crucial aspect of this process. This aspect goes well beyond transparency and aims to rebuild and strengthen the association's credibility and impact, the shared perception of its usefulness and necessity not only for the LGBTI community but for everyone, and, ultimately, its appeal within the entire fundraising system.

 

SIGNATORIES

Flavio Romani – Ferrara

Gabriele Piazzoni – Cremona

Michele Breveglieri – Verona

Alex Cremonesi – Verona

Zeno Menegazzi – Verona

Laura Pesce – Verona

Giulia Tessano – Verona

Claudio Tosi – Genoa

Domenico Lazzaro – Genoa

Massimo Vianello – Genoa

Marta Traverso – Genoa

Alberto Baliello – Udine

Vincenzo Branà – Bologna

Ezio De Gesu – Bologna

Matteo Cavalieri – Bologna

Franco Grillini – Bologna

Enrico Colombo – Bologna

Giacomo Damilano – Bologna

Sarah Serraiocco – Bologna

Emanuele Selleri – Bologna

Mariagiulia Biagi – Bologna

Luisa Zazzaro – Bologna

Lorena Leoni – Bologna

Dalivia Trevisan – Bologna

Irene Pasini – Bologna

Alice Biagi – Bologna

Valentina Pinza – Bologna

Alessandro Loforte – Bologna

Giuseppe Seminario – Bologna

Alex Mosconi – Bologna

Vincenzo Palombino – Bologna

Lorenzo Tocci – Bologna

Gianluca Paudice – Bologna

Maurizio Betti – Bologna

Riccardo Belletti – Bologna

Simone Ragusa – Bologna

Francesco Pennisi – Bologna

Giorgia Todisco – Bologna

Fabrizio Marrazzo -Roma

Carlo Chiattelli – Roma

Marianna Adel Labib – Roma

Francesco Angeli – Roma

Carlo Guarino – Roma

Enrico Martina – Roma

Fabrizio Macioce – Roma

Paolo Burattini – Roma

Esther Ascione – Roma

Paolo Salvatori – Roma

Roberto Verardi – Roma

Matteo Perozzi – Roma

Pietro Turano – Roma

Daniele Sorrentino – Roma

Chistian Mottola – Roma

Paolo Zanella- Trento

Shamar Droghetti – Trento

Gianluca Tanel – Trento

Patrik Fongarolli Frizzera – Trento

Giorgio Guzzetta – Trento

Lorenzo De Preto – Trento

Nicolò Gardoni – Trento

Nicola Gretter – Trento

Gabriele Manachino – Trento

Moreno Zolfo – Trento

Claudia Dolci – Trento

Michele Filosi – Trento

Francesco Primiceri – Trento

Matteo Scarano – Trento F

rancesco Guatteri – Trento

Mattia Galdiolo – Padova

Mirco Costacurta – Padova

Alessandro Pinarello – Padova

Filippo Biondi – Padova

Alberto Lunardi- Padova

Paolo Bianciotto – Torino

Marco Alessandro Giusta – Torino

Silvano Bertalot – Torino

Maurizio Gelatti – Torino

Francesca Puopolo – Torino

Giorgio Galfo – Torino

Riccardo Zucaro – Torino

Denise Magliano – Torino

Marco Tonti – Rimini

Marco Renzi – Rimini

Gabriele Morri – Rimini

Tommaso Mazza – Rimini

Elena Angelini – Rimini

Fabio Vici – Rimini

Jacopo Cesari – Pesaro

Davide Caroleo – Pesaro

Francesco Rocchetti – Pesaro

Giacomo Galeotti – Pesaro

Maria Cristina Mochi – Pesaro

Andre Casati – Pesaro

Pietro Dini – Pesaro

Bruno Nonvieri – Pesaro

Alessandro Melchiorri – Pesaro

Valerio Mezzolani – Pesaro

Lorenza Tizzi – Cremona

Jacopo Gualazzi – Cremona

Sergio Meloni – Cremona

Ilaria Giani – Cremona

Marco Cosci – Cremona

Matteo Tammaccaro – Cremona

Giuseppe Begnis – Cremona

Sebastian Barczyk – Cremona

Antonio Calvia – Cremona

Davide Provenzano – Mantova

Giuseppe Maffia – Bari

Gionata Bottalico – Bari

Eufemia Capezzera – Bari

Antonella Forte- Bari

Michele Amendolagine – Bari

Luciano Lopopolo – BAT

Vincenzo Antonio Gallo – BAT

Maria di Tullio – BAT

Paola Grazia – BAT

Mariantonietta Fiorella – BAT

Francesco Pagnani – BAT

Adriana di Terlizzi – BAT

Ginaluca Caruolo – BAT

Morena Rapolla – Basilicata

Nadia Girardi – Basilicata

Rosetta Gioiosa – Basilicata

Antonella Gioiosa – Basilicata

Chiara Sassano – Basilicata

Rocco Pace – Basilicata

Vita Colucci – Basilicata

Luciano Castrignano – Basilicata

Lucia Luria – Basilicata

Elvio Montagna – Basilicata

Tiziana Caggianese -Basilicata

Gabriele Curri – Salento

Daniela de Lentinis – Salento

Gianluca Zedda – Salento

Filomena Casale – Salento

Ignatti Gabriella – Salento

Laura Quaranta – Salento

Gianmarco Caniglia – Salento

Roberto de Mitry – Salento

Ottavia Voza – Salerno

Miguel Coraggio – Salerno

Edoardo Palescandolo – Salerno

Cosimo Pastore – Salerno

Giovanni Frasci – Salerno

Raffaele Giordano – Salerno

Massimo Scirocco – Salerno

Tommaso Tucci – Salerno

Nunzio Carnala – Salerno

Filomena D’Elia – Salerno

Antonello Sannino – Napoli

Fabrizio Sorbara – Napoli

Mariano Fusaro – Napoli

Claudio Finelli – Napoli

Fabio Corbisiero – Napoli

Luciano Correale – Napoli

Vincenzo Veneruso – Napoli

Matteo Gabriele – Napoli

Fabio Ragosta – Napoli

Elena Tramontano – Napoli

Daniela Falanga – Napoli

Salvatore Simioli – Napoli

Maria Luisa Mazzarella – Napoli

Valter Catalano – Napoli

Fabio Caruso – Napoli

Carmen Ferrara – Napoli

Danilo di Leo – Napoli

Marco Marocco – Napoli

Carmine Urciuoli – Napoli

Ferinando Orabona – Pistoia

Dafne Caccamo – Ragusa

Emanuele Micilotta – Ragusa

Giuseppe Ragusa – Ragusa

Marco Spadaro – Ragusa

Samuele Colombo – Ragusa

Armando Caravini – Siracusa

Maurizio Bianca – Siracusa

Alessandro Ernesto Baio – Siracusa

Giuseppe Giampiccolo – Siracusa

Giuseppe Di Natale – Siracusa

Orazio Lauretta – Siracusa

Raffaele Bruno – Siracusa

Giovanni Luca Melfa – Siracusa

Elisabetta Cristina – Siracusa

Samantha Bizzarro – Siracusa

Salvo Di Maria – Siracusa

Giovanni Caloggero – Catania

Dario De Felice – Catania

Antonio Ferrarotto – Catania

Matteo Iannitti – Catania
Angelo Prestifilippo – Catania

Francesco Mascali – Catania

Patrizia Mauro – Catania

Marco Salanitri – Catania

Fabio Marchese – Cataia

Riccardo Alma – Catania

Stefano Lanza – Catania

Giuseppe Cacisi – Catania

Graziella Puglisi – Catania

Riccardo Di Salvo – Catania

Francesco Zingo – Catania

Carmelo Spalletta – Catania

Santina Sconza – Catania

Leonardo Dongiovanni – L’Aquila

Patrizia Passi – L’Aquila

Lorenzo Samperna – L’Aquila

Christian Porretta – L’Aquila

Davide Vincenzi – L’Aquila

Simone Pagliariccio – L’Aquila

Carla Liberatore – L’Aquila

Simone Parisse – L’Aquila

Stefano Conti – L’Aquila

Mariani Franco – L’Aquila

Giusti Fianfranco – L’Aquila

Arianna Ioannucci – L’Aquila

Luigi Perilli – L’Aquila