Homophobia in Italy: Transsexual assaulted in Licata (Sicily)

Transsexual assaulted in Licata (Sicily) by a dozen armed youths. Nobody came to her aid. The media and authorities have played down the attack.

Agrigento, February 20, 2012. Michelle Santamaria is a 23-year-old transsexual who lives in Licata (Agrigento, Sicily). On the evening of February 14th, she was dancing in a pub in the city centre. She was approached by a gang of young men and punched in the face before being dragged to the ground and beaten. "They are beasts,” Michelle says of her attackers, “I was attacked for being a transsexual man, as I have masculine features. They brutally beat me up in front of everyone present. Nobody attempted to help me, not even the pub owner, who wanted me out of the place as soon as possible." As she made her escape from the room, Michelle was chased by her assailants who were armed with knives. The chase only ended when she reached the police station, where she made a complaint. This case is typical of the reality in which LGBTI people in Italy are currently living. It is a tragic reality, yet very often victims of abuse and violence fail to report the attacks. The politicians and media are doing nothing about these episodes of homophobia, a phenomenon that is now totally out of control.

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