Le istituzioni locali e il mondo associativo per la costruzione di una rete in materia di cooperazione, cultura di pace, integrazione multietnica, promozione dei diritti umani e della solidarietà fra i popoli.
Doubly invisible
Arcigay has promoted a national research to shed light on the often ignored target group – disabled homosexuals. Besides discovering their needs for integration that often are filled up with the use of Internet chats, the research gave rise to the “Abili di cuore” group (“Able to empathize”) to promote projects, support each other and make themselves known in the world that is still a little bit blind .
Double prejudice- The first national research in this field has been promoted by Arcigay, the Centre for Handicap Documentation of Bologna, the Bologna Family Therapy Centre and HandyGay of Rome. The research is based upon in-depth interviews with 25 persons with the analysis of four areas of their life – socio-health, social/family, associational and community, emotional/sexual. The subjects under study – gays and the disabled – get used to live with the double prejudice – related to their physical conditions and their sexual orientation. The binomial is little-discussed, ignored and little-supported by both heterosexual and homosexual community.
“What is clear- as the national official for Diverse abilities of Arcigay Matteo Marliani explains, - is the little knowledge about the situation, mysterious perception of themselves by the disabled, as well as mysterious perception of disable persons within the Lgbt community. (…) Little understanding is the result either of scarce knowledge or commonplaces, which often portrays a disable person as deprived of emotional and sexual needs, with the only need of “compassionate” love”.
Communication technologies- Nevertheless, as the research reveals, integration into society is among the needs of disabled homosexuals. They have a strong wish to meet new persons to share emotions, besides the need of greater support from the associations, which are generally rarely attended and considered “ghettoising”. The wish is partly filled up due to the use of communication technologies, such as the Internet and chats, the only instrument to establish relations and get acquainted with persons without the need to show themselves to a community that is still full of prejudice. But TV, on-line forums and articles are also used to spread messages of “sensibilization” and protests while waiting for recognition.
Abili di cuore- According to the author of the research, Priscilla Berardi, after the interviews many persons continued to call or send e-mails to the project team asking for both practical and psychological help. This gave birth to “Abili di cuore”, a group that together with the research team and Arcigay will continue to exchange information, ideas, friendship and help. Not only. Both education projects for new operators of the Lgbt associations and public services for the disabled and homosexuals, and communication projects for making society and associations aware of this reality will be put forward. To start with, this research will be presented and discussed on the 26th of October in Bologna on the occasion of the “Abili di cuore” debate, at the Department of Education Sciences, via Filippo Re 3, at 3 p.m. Among participants is Luca Pietrantoni, representative of the Department, Raffaele Lelleri, supervisor of studies, Priscilla Berardi, researcher, representatives of the Lgbd group, Valeria Alpi, editor-in-chief of Hp-Accaparlante, other persons in charge from involved associations and Abili di Cuore. That represents thee beginning to step out of the invisibility.
