It is odd, or rather it would be if it were not so tragic, that we must still talk about homophobia today, frozen in a past that refuses to go away, one made up of denied rights and abuse. On 17 May, the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia is celebrated, established in 2007 by the European Union specifically to condemn the discrimination that vast numbers of people are still forced to endure on the basis of their sexual orientation.

When homosexuality was considered a disease

The date chosen for the occasion commemorates 17 May 1990, the day on which the World Health Organization (WHO) removed homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses. It would take a further four years, however, for the decision to become operative, with the subsequent edition of the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), drawn up in 1994.

Homophobia in Italy

In Italy, episodes of discrimination are still an everyday occurrence and are perpetrated across all social groups and age brackets. The report on homophobia in Italy, compiled ahead of the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia by Omofobia.org, a project launched in 2013 on the initiative of Arcigay, captures a picture of the homotransphobic phenomenon that remains far too prevalent in our country. According to the data, from April 2022 to March 2023, the reported episodes of homotransphobia numbered 115, affecting 165 victims across 62 locations. Unreported cases number many more.

According to data released in 2021, in Italy more than 50 people a day experience discrimination and violence, as reported by Fabrizio Marrazzo, spokesperson for the Gay Center, a centre that hosts associations, social services and cultural and community initiatives.

Italy lacks a law against homophobia

People in Italy still die because of homophobia and transphobia. On the occasion of the day, attention is drawn to the absence in our country, unlike other European countries, of effective legislation to combat discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity. A law against homophobia and the crimes connected to it is needed, so as to punish the offence of discrimination and incitement to hatred and homophobic violence.

Discrimination can no longer be tolerated