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May 17, 2021 "The International Day against homophobia, transphobia and biphobia is an opportunity to reaffirm the absolute rejection of all forms of discrimination and intolerance and, therefore, to reaffirm the centrality of the principle of equality enshrined in our Constitution and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union ". Thus the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella in a statement.



"Personal attitudes and sexual orientation - affirms the President of the Republic - cannot be a reason to attack, mock, deny the respect due to human dignity, because where this happens the moral values ​​on which democratic coexistence is based itself is threatened. . Society is enriched by the contribution of diversity. Contempt, exclusion towards what is considered different from oneself, represent a form of violence that generates regression and can push towards unacceptable fanaticisms ". "The wound inflicted on a single person - claims Mattarella - offends the freedom of all. And unfortunately there are not few episodes of violence, moral and physical which, by hitting the victims, offend the whole of society. Solidarity, respect, inclusion, as has also demonstrated thework in contrast to the pandemic, they are powerful vectors of social cohesion and security ".



Because on 17 May

Established in 2007 by the European Union to condemn the discrimination that still many people are forced to suffer on the basis of their sexual orientation, on 17 May each year we celebrate the International Day against homophobia, biphobia and transphobia. The date is symbolic, because it was precisely on May 17, 1990 that the WHO, the World Health Organization, eliminated homosexuality from the list of mental illnesses, even if it still took four years for the decision to become effective, with the subsequent edition of the Dsm (Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders), approved in 1994.



Increasing discrimination in the year of Covid

In the last year, the covid period, blackmail and threats suffered by LGBT people have increased, going from 11% to 28%. Cases of bullying and discrimination at work from 3 to 15%. These are the data of the Gay help line, released in view of the 31st international day against homotransphobia. 2021 is the year in which, according to Ilga Europe (international association for LGBT rights present at the UN), Italy drops to 35th place in the ranking of European countries for policies to protect human rights and equality of people LGBT + (lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans). At gayhelpline.it, contact center against homophobia and transphobia, more than 50 contacts per day (between line and chat) record more than 20,000 a year, by people affected by discrimination, hatred and violence as lesbians, gay bisex and trans . Furthermore,in the year in which the pandemic limited socialization to the web, 30% of LGBT + students who contacted the Gay Help Line said they had suffered cyberbullying and hate speech online.



Still, around 60% of users fall into the 13-27 age group. The incidence of prejudice and discrimination has a particular weight on children: this is because the problems already begin with coming out in the family. The data show that in the last year, 50% of young lesbian, gay or bisexual people have had problems in the family after speaking to their parents. The percentage rises to 70% if young Transs declare themselves. 36% of LGBT + minors saw rejection by family members or their peers. 17% of adult boys who contacted Gay Help Line, after declaring to their parents, suffered the loss of financial support from the family: most of these were consequently abandoned and put on the street. 



A fact that is constant over time is the difficulty of victims to report: the phenomenon of underreporting (failure to report) has a worrying effect on the recognition of the extent of discrimination and violence.