The Lazio region, led by Francesco Rocca, gave its sponsorship to Roma Pride. He had no reason not to. The common goal was “to promote real inclusion and combat all forms of stigma and discrimination”. There were two conditions: respect the sensitivity of all citizens and refrain from promoting illegal actions prohibited by Italian law. Everything looked fine. Gay Pride could have happened every year, it didn’t matter if a center-right had replaced a center-left junta. But then, something changed. Organizers turned the LGBT pride march into an openly anti-government demonstration. The right opportunity to turn it into a surrogacy crusade. The Region could not accept it and decided to withdraw its sponsorship of the event scheduled for Saturday, June 10, in Rome, starting at 3 pm in Piazza della Repubblica.
To understand the reasons for this decision, it is necessary to focus on what happened in the hours immediately before the sponsorship was revoked. The first to exploit the support of the Lazio Region was Mario Colamarino, president of the Mario Mieli homosexual culture circle and spokesman for Roma Pride: “We appreciate that the Region has decided to escape the trap of ideological prejudices, effectively distancing itself politically from how many in Parliament today would like to make the birth of our daughters and sons a universal crime, persecuting the gestation of others even if it takes place abroad. Patronage is not just a formal act, but also involves concrete actions that we hope will last throughout the year». Obviously, Rocca and his board never declared themselves in favor of surrogacy, nor did they distance themselves from the bill under discussion in the Chamber. But it doesn’t end there. An ideological manifesto appeared on Roma Pride’s website that targets the executive even more explicitly. «In the first year of the Meloni government – the document reads – the Queer community suffered multiple attacks. From the elimination of the names of trans people from the registers of educational institutions to the cancellation of municipal registers of daughters and sons of homoparental couples. These and much more. We never stop fighting. No government can stop us.” The manifesto concludes with a “call to arms”: “Let’s shout QueeResistence”.
In light of all this, the Region considers that “these declarations violate the conditions expressly required for the granting of sponsorship previously granted in good faith by the Region of Lazio”, because “the institutional signature of the Region cannot be used for support intended to promote illegal behaviours, with specific reference to the practice of surrogacy”. “What happened represents a missed opportunity to build a mature dialogue free of any ideology – concludes the Region – to promote real inclusion and combat all forms of discrimination”. The left immediately shouted foul. Deputy Pd Alessandro Zan speaks of “schizophrenia and hatred” on the part of the Region of Lazio, while the leader of the group in the Chamber Chiara Braga defines it as a “very bad sign”. The spokesman for Roma Pride criticizes what he calls the “Catholic Taliban” and promises: “We will not remove the Region’s logo from the website”. And the former governor, Nicola Zingaretti, promises: “On Saturday I will be at Pride in Rome as I always did as president. We need to fight against those who deny rights.” Mayor Roberto Gualtieri will also be in the square: “Roma Pride is an important event for the LGBT+ community and for those who fight against discrimination. That is why Roma Capitale has secured its sponsorship». Lapidary to the response of the vice-premier leader of the League Matteo Salvini: “Do you support the propaganda of the uterus for rent? No, thank you”.
Source: IL Tempo
Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.
