#NEVERAGAINWITHOUT

Padua is generally known as the city ‘without’. This reputation is caused by illusory or real lacks that concern some of the most well-known places of this city: The coffee bar without doors, The Saint without name… overall, seven lacks.

Although these labels added prestige to these places, we should not be proud of all those things that we still lack – in Padua, but also in all the other Italian cities – to be free and to have those rights the other citizens already have.

We are talking about a lack in legislation as regards homotransphobia, same-sex families, marriage equality and self-determination of transgenders and intersexuals.

We are also talking about silences: let’s think about coming out in workplaces or if someone is an athlete, gender non-binarism, asexuals or polyamory. And the list could go on and on.

In this Padua Pride 2018, we want to change this situation so that nobody has to hide or give up their individuality. Never again without a face – we could say – never again without an identity. Never again without rights, healthcare, freedom to choose what is right for us. Never again without an education based on the values of equality, tolerance and integration.

This is why we chose as our claim the hashtag #neveragainwithout. We want our city and country to be ‘with’ things: a place that can offer spaces and means of inclusion. We want everyone to have the same rights, no matter their gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, census or social role.

Last but not least, sixteen years without a pride are a lot, far too many for a city like Padua. We have missed it and it is about time to be even more proud… it is time to be #neveragainwithout Pride!