Ex-gay Giuseppe Povia, who hails from Milan, wrote and performed the song “Luca Was Gay” that is currently in the running for the best song award at the yearly Sanremo Music Festival to be held next month in Italy. He claims that two of his friends also converted to heterosexuality and got married after he convinced them to change.
Aurelio Mancuso, president of the gay rights group Arcigay of Italy, promised a “strong, noisy and organized” protest unless the song is removed from the festival. Povia is no stranger to speaking up against gays as mentioned by Mancuso, as he had appeared in the magazine “Panorama” back in 2005, making statements such as:
“people aren’t gay, they become gay on the basis of who they spend time with”
“ had a gay phase, it lasted seven months and then I got over it.”
If this is true, then these statements can hardly relate to most within the community that are comfortable with their sexuality since young. Povia can hardly be considered a gay man (let alone an ex-gay) since he had no prior life or experiences relating to his supposed “homosexual” orientation except for a probable experimentation which lasted barely a year.
In an article published on “Repubblica” (translated), the song Luca Was Gay was highlighted, and seemed to contain strong statements that is deeply rooted to the reparative therapy framework by NARTH that blames the parents for homosexuality, and reconciliation with parents as the ex-gay cure.
However, Arcigay’s protest may not be a solution; it will not go down well with ex-gay groups, who can easily use this example to claim that gays are intolerant of ex-gays, as do groups like PFOX in the United States. In fact, Italian politican Luca Volonte from The Union of Christian and Centre Democrats was quoted as saying the move to force the song’s exclusion is “a clear attempt at discrimination and censorship”. Will this protest be used as a fodder for ex-gay ministries in the future? Time will tell.
“people aren’t gay, they become gay on the basis of who they spend time with”
Oh? I wonder then, how it was that as I grew up I knew from puberty that my whole orientation and desire was unequivocally towards and for my own sex. Yet I had never met or spoken to any person, as far as I knew, who was the same.
How was it that any erotic dream I ever had, featured persons of my own sex, yet there was only one person in my school with the reputation of being homosexually-oriented, and I never spoke to that person in my life?
Such ill-informed opinionated drivel is infuriating!
There is a big difference between “censoring” or suppressing a song, and denying a pro-bigotry song top honors at a music festival.
Tolerance is not equivalent to affirmation, and it is ridiculous to claim that gay people must quietly allow bigotry to be affirmed lest they be accused of intolerance.
Tolerance is not equal to affirmation
I understand where you are coming from. However, bigots will not even attempt to recognize affirmation, and will gleefully paint us as “intolerant” at any opportunity for the public to see. There are plenty of other ways of letting our voices be heard than a threat> of a “strong, noisy and organized protest”.
This is the last and probably the toughest impasse for LGBT people to transcend is the case of victimization and/or intolerance anti-gay bigots use to somehow feel legitimized. The best thing that Arcigay can do is to protest this in a huge way and to replace the lies with truth boldly. When you speak the truth how can that be considered persecuting or intolerant? The majority will see through the lies. The best thing we can all do as a community is keep telling the truth, keep being out there and honest about our lives and don’t stop for a minute in letting a lie go unchecked. We can’t afford to let the lies slip by without being corrected thus letting the lies begin to take root in some people’s minds.
There are some people who are not truly gay and who have had gay experiences but they and those who are part of the ex-gay mythological machine need to realize the difference.
Are we supposed to just accept this mischaracterisation?
I can understand avoiding certain battles for pragmatic reasons, but being “pragmatic” doesn’t shoot down the lies.
Unfortunately, anti-gays are going to spread lies whether we like it or not, and will continue will do so even if we did nothing, as recent history suggests.
What I am trying to say is this:
We still do not know what kind of protest Arcigay is planning up. All we know is by their words, that it is going to be “strong, noisy and organized”. It is of course our hope that positives will come out of it.
“However, bigots will not even attempt to recognize affirmation, and will gleefully paint us as “intolerant” at any opportunity for the public to see.”
I have to disagree with Yuki. These bigots will paint us as unhealthy child molesters and intolerant, no matter what we do. So, it is better to protest – which allows both sides of the story to get out. And, it allows us to tell the truth about the lives of GLBT people and their families.
Let’s also remember that direct action works. The right wing paints us as intolerant because gay activists protested the APA in the late 60’s and early 70’s. So what?
These protests worked, because it got the APA to review the actual science, rather than stereotypes. Without such protests, we, as gay people, would still be considered mentally ill. Speaking out and standing up produces results. Quiet responses allow the opposition to paint a portrait of you. Those who do not defend, get defined.
While it is unfortunate that we must demonstrate, it remains important that we do so.
Wayne, allow me to stress again:
I did not say that Arcigay should not protest, but how they protest is going to be vital in delivering the truth. If it is going to resemble a riot, it will alienate rather than build bridges. Thus far, their FaceBook cause still tells us nothing of what they are going to do, except delivering some threats that they are going to disrupt the entire event unless Povia is out.
And Luca Volonte had a point when he mentioned there were no objections when Anna Tatangelo’s gay affirming song “My Friend” was competing in last year’s festival.
https://www.lifeinitaly.com/node/2915
I do not know whether you are suggesting they riot like the revolutionary Stonewall. Bear in mind, we are now living in the information age. Even the peaceful prop H8 protests can be twisted in the online media to defame LGBTs, even if nothing happened. That is why I am encouraged by the work we are doing here at XGW, and also the team at TWO. I believe this is the new age battle. Our wars are no longer at bars, but online where we counter-voice against misinformation, misrepresentation and myth parroting by ex-gays worldwide.
I’d protest the song because Luca Volante was never gay as per the definition I hold, that being having a homosexual (or bisexual) orientation, recognizing it and accepting it. If you read the song, you realize that Luca’s early teenage girlfriends (evidently at least two and likely several) are usually not in the behavior of a young gay man – unless he should be experiencing pressure in that respect. Evidently, Luca was not.
I’d protest because the song is selling a bill of goods that isn’t true. Luca Volante never had a homosexual or likely even bisexual orientation. Thus he was never actually gay.