From: marco bellavia Subject: NEWS FROM ITALY Date: Mon, 21 Mar 1994 15:15:22 +0100 (MET) The recent EU resolution about equal rights for gay people had great emphasis in our country, with "capital letter headlines" on many newspapers and many debates following the statement and the reply of the Roman Pope. Italian state television (RAI 2) invited a quite famous lesbian couple to a debate during the night edition of the News to talk about the resolution and an entire issue of the famous night talkshow "Milano, Italia" was dedicated to the theme (broadcasted by RAI 3). During the show, whose title was "questo matrimonio non s'ha da fare" (phrase taken from Promessi Sposi, by Alessandro Manzoni, chapter one), talked a Roman Bishop to express his strong opposition to gay marriage and adoption, saying that gay behaviour is morally disordered and so on ... On the same side of the Bishop, part of the invited public, and a politician of the Christian Democrats Party, which strongly opposes any change in italian laws in favour of civil unions, both for gay and staight couples. Opposed to them Mr Stefano Rodota', member of the Parliament and member of the PDS (Left Democratic Party, previously Communist Party) and Mr Paolo Hutter, town councellor in Milan, elected as an indipendent for the PDS, famous for having celebrated a fake marriage of ten gay couples in Piazza Scala, a very important place in Milan, where the Town Hall stands in 1992. Both of them welcomed the resolution, being very careful about the adoption issue. Of the same position Mr Franco Grillini, president of ARCI GAY: the gay organization doesn't seem to condider vital the adoption issue for the moment except for the right of gay people who have children from straight relationships. National ARCI GAY asked the member of its organization to vote for the Left-wing Coalition at the general election which will be held next week (27 and 28 of March) and which will see the change of the election system from proportional to a system similar to the British one, with 1/4 of the parliament being elected with the proportional system with a barrier of 4% to get seats in the parliament for any Party. In Milan, the local ARCI GAY wrote to Milan candidates to take position about the EU resolution and to express their attitude towards gay organizations, before giving its members any vote suggestions. We have about three main coalitions which would like to win elections: The Left-Wing Coalition, which is made up of Communist Party, PDS, Socialist Party, Green Party and Democratic Alliance; the Centre Coalition (Christian Democrats, part of the Liberal Party, part of the Republican Party and Mr Mario Segni list, the promoter of important Referendum ); The Right-Wing Coalition (National Alliance, whose ideals originate from Fascism, FORZA-ITALIA, a new Party created by Mr Silvio Berlusconi, a famous Business man, owner of three TV Networks, and for the North of Italy LEGA NORD) To Arci Gay letter to the candidates the most positive attitude came from Left-Wing Coalition and from the Radical Party. One of the candidates of the Centre Coalition seemed to have a positive attitude to minorities in general but being Roman Catholic, personally opposed to the part of the resolution concerning gay "marriage" and adoption rights. At the moment Forza Italia and Lega Nord candidates haven't yet answered to Arci Gay letter, but National Alliance, sent a document from "Coordinamento Regionale della Lombardia" signed by Mr Francesco Tofoni in which he personally opposes to gay organizations, to gay rights, to the UE resolution and in which he affirms gay behaviour to be source of social disorder and deviation if publically showed. What's more he also says to consider gay minority socially dangerous. I suppose that the local Arci Gay in Milan would not suggest to vote for any of the candidates of National Alliance, but the organization is made up of people of different political background, and any personal position is accepted, except for those which promote omophobia, of course.