Milan Pride: Schlein says 'Transphobia kills, we want a law'

Elly Schlein, the leader of Italy's Democratic Party, joined the Milan Pride parade on Saturday, using the event to call for legislative action against homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia. "Transphobia kills," Schlein declared, referencing the recent murder of Mirco Moriconi, who had expressed fear of his father on social media.

Schlein argued that such tragedies underscore the societal and political need to address the roots of discrimination. "This is the meaning of Pride parades – to change the culture in a country where transphobia unfortunately continues to claim victims," she stated. She linked the pervasive hatred and discrimination faced by LGBTQ+ individuals to various forms of violence, including physical and mental abuse.

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Transphobia kills. Unfortunately, it also killed Mirco Moriconi who had decided to call himself Michelangelo Andreoni, killed by his father along with his mother. And some time ago he had also reported on social media, he had written on social media 'better dead than gay for my father'. Transphobia unfortunately kills and I think that in the face of this tragedy, all of society and all of politics must reflect, because someone still asks what the point of holding Pride parades is.

The party leader criticized the lack of progress on legislation aimed at combating anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes, recalling the fate of the DDL Zan bill, which was ultimately blocked in parliament. "Some people still wonder what the point of Pride parades is," Schlein said, "This is the point – to change the culture in a country where transphobia unfortunately continues to claim victims, because in the end, hatred and discrimination against LGBTQ+ people lead to violence, violence in many forms, physical, mental, and we must take it into account."

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This is the point – to change the culture in a country where transphobia unfortunately continues to claim victims, because in the end, hatred and discrimination against LGBTQ+ people lead to violence, violence in many forms, physical, mental and we must take it into account. And some people still wonder why we want a law against hatred, against homobiphobia as the DDL Zan was, which was sunk in Parliament.