United Against Hate: Verona Tran-Feminist City
The thirteenth “World Congress of Families” will take place in Verona, from the 29th to the 31st March, 2019. This event will gather together the global «pro-life movement». It will be organized in collaboration with, and thanks to the support of, global far-right, ultra-catholic and integralist groups and political representatives. The purpose of this three-days event is to write a global agenda on women’s bodies and their self-determination, on trans’, LGBTQIA+’s and migrants’ rights, and to apply such an agenda at both a local and a global scale.
As feminist activists living in Verona and joining the international feminist movement “Ni Unas Menos” (“Non Una di Meno” in Italy) against violence on women, we are aware of the worldwide reach of this convention. Thus, we are working on making Verona a Trans-feminist City precisely during these days: a city-community that will get together to stand up against hate, and in support of women, homosexual, trans and everybody’s rights.
All across the town, during the three days, we’re organizing scattered cultural and artistic events, seminars about women and LGBTQIA+’s rights, workshops about school and education issues.
On Saturday March 30, we are marching through Verona.
We will bring down into the streets our lives, bodies and herstories, to reclaim inclusion, self-determination, diversity and solidarity, through ironic, queer and feminist practices.
On Sunday March 31, an international feminist public assembly will be held, gathering together individuals, groups and movements that face and resist against the growing integralist far-right. We want to strengthen the connections among trans-feminist movements from all over Europe, South-America, Africa and beyond.
The organization of the World Congress of Families is a very powerful organization from an economic point of view, and it gathers members of political parties and movements that support campaigns and policies against women’s rights, the right to abortion and same sex marriage. The Italian government fully supports this operation: the vice president of council and Ministry of Internal Affairs, Matteo Salvini, the Ministry for the Family, Lorenzo Fontana and the Ministry of Education, Marco Bussetti will take part in the event. According to the official program of the event, along with the Italians the Congress will gather supporters of “natural family”, and of the suppression of free abortion and other women’s rights, from all over the world: Russia, Hungary, Moldavia, Nigeria, Uganda etc. The three days event will close with a “big march for the family”.
Today, more than ever, it’s evident that we must face a global reactionary agenda that wants to subordinate women’s bodies and the bodies that are not white and heterosexual. Our alliances and fights must therefore find common ground and a common language.
We invite you to join us in Verona on March 29, 30, 31 to coordinate with us a collective mediatic action, and to share and send contributions about your specific local issues.
You can also organize some form of protest in your own town and send your signature to the call to show solidarity.
For any suggestion and information request, or if you like to get involved, please get in touch at: veronatransfemminista@autistici.org
Support us! You can contribute to the three-days protest donating here