Pride Month and commemoration of the Stonewall riots: the Academic Senate issues a statement reaffirming the Sant'Anna School's commitment to combating all forms of discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and expression

To commemorate the Stonewall riots, which are remembered on 28 June, the Academic Senate of the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies has approved the following statement.

The Rector, at the request of the Regular Students, recalls that, on the anniversary of the Stonewall riots, a key event in the history of the emancipation of the LGBTQI+ community, the Sant'Anna School strongly renews its commitment and support for this community and the people who belong to it.

Since 1969, significant progress has been made in protecting LGBTQI+ rights. This year, for example, marks the 35th anniversary of the World Health Organisation's historic decision to remove homosexuality from the list of mental illnesses. However, as the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella recalled on 17 May, on the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia: ‘The latest data from the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights remind us, however, that there is still a long way to go in the fight against discrimination. Too many people are still victims of bullying because of their sexual orientation, of violence, often perpetrated in the silence of their own homes, and live in fear of being themselves.’

The Sant'Anna School, proud of its identity as an inclusive community, is determined to combat all forms of discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sexual characteristics. As President Mattarella stated: "combating all forms of marginalisation is a duty enshrined in the Constitution. This principle must be part of everyday life, a shared heritage that requires the active, conscious and responsible involvement of everyone."

As a public education and research institution, the School is firmly committed to promoting the rights of LGBTQI+ people and calls on its entire community to reject all forms of intolerance and indifference. To reinforce this commitment, over the last year the School has approved a new Code of Ethics that reaffirms the integral protection of the person, the rejection of all discrimination and the centrality of equal opportunities, while introducing additional tools for positive and preventive action.

The common goal is always to promote and affirm the constitutional principles of freedom and equality, fundamental values that transcend any sense of belonging. Indeed, as President Mattarella emphasised: “A truly inclusive community is one that protects and values differences, thus building a more just and cohesive society and, consequently, expanding the freedom of all.”