Over 700 participants from more than 55 countries converged in Rome last weekend for Italy’s first ever Dyke March, as well as the 4th EuroCentralAsian LesbianConference (ELC), transforming the Eternal City into a global stage for resistance, visibility, and celebration.
Held from April 23 to 26, the conference is more than a gathering; it is a declaration. In a country grappling with intensifying political conservatism and frequent assaults on civil liberties, last weekend marked a powerful moment of solidarity and visibility.
In recent years, Italy has seen a series of setbacks for queer rights in recent years. While same-sex civil unions were legalised in 2016, same-sex marriage is still not legal and adoption rights for LGBTQ+ couples remain heavily restricted. Under Giorgia Meloni’s far-right government, LGBTQ+ families have been increasingly targeted, from erasures of non-biological mothers from birth certificates to attempts at restricting surrogate parenting abroad.
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However, local government support offered meaningful welcome, with Marilena Grassadonia, Head of LGBTI Rights at the Municipality of Rome, stating: “Visibility continues to be the strongest, most powerful tool we have, not only to be seen, but to proudly claim our lives, our choices, and our deep belief that walking with heads held high is the right path forward.”
ELC Co-Chairs, Gulzada Serzhan and Eva Perez-Nanclares, emphasised in their welcome: “We gather in Rome as an intentional, radical act of solidarity… Rome is not just a backdrop – it is a battleground. And by being here, we are part of a wider resistance against misogyny, lesbophobia, transphobia, racism, ableism and all systems of oppression threatening our communities”.
Over four days, the conference brought lesbian voices to the forefront through plenaries, workshops, and panels covering political representation, healthcare access, queer motherhood, aging, activism, and cultural creation. It is a celebration of complexity and intersectionality, reclaiming the margins and centring those often pushed to the edges of LGBTQ+ discourse.
On April 26, participants in the conference took to the streets of the Italian capital. In a landmark event coinciding with International Lesbian Visibility Day, participants marched through the heart of Rome in Italy’s first-ever Dyke March.
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