Brussels (Eurotoday) – MEP Mario Furore presents “The Island of the Arrusi,” a photography exhibition on the confinement of homosexuals in Italy in 1939, at the European Parliament.
Homophobia during the Fascist regime
Mario Furore, member of the Five Stars Movement and The Left Group of the European Parliament, organized a photography exhibition to raise awareness about homophobia during the fascist regime in Italy. The photos recount the story of 45 men from Catania, Sicily, who, in 1939, were arrested by the police and confined to San Domino, a remote island in southern Italy, for the “crime” of being homosexual.
The exhibition was attended by notable figures, including Luana Rigolli, photographer and curator of the exhibition; MEP Alessandro Zan; Italian Senator Alessandra Maiorino; Mayor of Termiti Annalisa Lisci; Italian activist and TV host Vladimir Luxuria; and Alice Rizzi, president of Foggia Arcigay, an Italian association promoting LGBTIQ+ rights.
The display features a semicircular arrangement of photos, including mugshots of the men taken by local authorities, police records, images of the island, and personal items. Among these is a poignant letter written by one of the men, pleading to return home to his mother and brother.
The exhibition occupies a prominent hall in the EU Parliament area dedicated to Altiero Spinelli, one of the founding fathers of the European Union.
*“I wanted this spot because a lot of people walk by it every day, so I hope that all my colleagues, from Vannacci (MEP in the Patriots for Europe group) to all the others on the right, will see what people were going through just because they were homosexuals. I did it on purpose,”* Furore remarked.
Homophobia during the Fascist regime
In 1939, 45 homosexual men from Catania, Sicily, were taken from their families and exiled to San Domino, part of the Tremiti Islands. This operation, called Operation Molina—named after Alfonso Molina, the quaestor who initiated it—was carried out under the guise of “decency and preservation of the race.” Molina sought to “intervene with strength to attack and cauterize evil in its outbreaks.”
Between 1936 and 1940, approximately 300 homosexual men were confined on the Tremiti Islands. This measure was justified as a “preventive action to preserve the positive image of the country.” These individuals, often referred to as arrusi (Sicilian dialect for “gay”), were arrested, subjected to intrusive physical examinations to confirm their sexual practices, and subsequently exiled to remote, sparsely inhabited islands with no possibility of returning.
This grim chapter of history has been chronicled in the book The City and the Island by Gianfranco Goretti and Tommaso Giartosio, which provides historical context and details about the process of confinement. Photographer Luana Rigolli, however, aimed to bring a more visual and emotional connection to the story.
*“I found these pictures at the Central Archive in Rome, where all their biographical files are kept,”* Rigolli shared with Eurotoday.
*“When I opened the first one, I got emotional. I ran to the bathroom and cried. It is so impactful to see their faces and not just hear or read their story. It makes you realize they were real people,”* she added.
How is the European Union doing on LGBTIQ+ rights?
MEP Furore expressed concerns to Eurotoday about the European Commission’s current right-wing orientation, which he described as an impediment to progress on inclusive policies. He emphasized the need for normative uniformity across the EU to ensure that all members of the LGBTIQ+ community enjoy the same rights in every member state.
Recent data shows that discrimination and harassment persist across the EU, particularly in workplaces, schools, and healthcare settings. Additionally, not all EU countries recognize the same LGBTIQ+ rights, complicating the lives of those who wish to relocate or travel within the Union.
*“If I could talk face-to-face to one of these men now,”* Furore said to Eurotoday,
*“I would tell him that he was unfortunately born in the wrong period of history, but it is for people like him that we are fighting today, so that what happened to him won’t happen ever again.”*
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