TRUTH IN (SPITE OF) RELIGION

On Thursday 7th September 2017 a training course with the title “The construction of identity and the sexual-affective development in childhood and adolescence” has been planned in Forlì, an Italian town near Bologna, in the Emilia-Romagna region. The main figures expected to appear on stage are:

Massimo Gandolfini, a neurosurgeon and spokesperson for Family Day, a yearly event campaigning against LGBTI+ rights and promoting the sanctity of heterosexual marriage;

Marco Scicchitano, a psychologist and psychotherapist, supporter of the importance of educating about the ‘differences’ between ‘males’ and ‘females’, and spokesman of Manif pour Tous Italy, notorious homophobic network;

Angela Mongelli, a lecturer in Sociology of Education at the University of Bari, who signed petitions of the Pro Life movement aimed at penalising abortion, and joined the campaign against the “theory of gender”.

 

They have all made clear trans-homophobic, sexist, and anti-scientific public statements. These are discriminatory, spurious claims that lack credible scientific basis. For example:

“Suicides amongst gay people are caused by the distress with one’s own identity. To prevent this dramatic outcome, children need to be pointed towards heterosexuality.”

Massimo Gandolfini, as reported in Corriere della Sera Brescia, 22^nd April 2015.

“Same-sex parents can’t compensate for the parental roles, compared to heterosexual parents, whilst respecting the psychological wellbeing and the proper psychosexual development of the child. Therefore, whoever claims that the complementary nature of men and women is not a significant factor, then they would not reflect the current debate in the psychological and sociological research. (…) We must highlight how national and international studies state that, having a male and female figure, a maternal and paternal role-model, are conditions that favour the psycho-affective development of the child.”

Marco Scicchitano, Audition for the Italian Parliament (Senate), February 2015, p.67.

“The [heterosexual] family is able to offer a qualitatively ‘higher’ model, and is the only one able to pass down to new generations a sense of direction in life: this is the contribution of the [Roman] Catholic world (p. 6). Family is a relationship of relationships which is framed by the symbolic code of love, intended as the full reciprocity of sexes (p. 9). Procreating is the essence of a family that is thought and planned for its descendants (p. 11).”

Angela Mongelli, Incrementing the familiar in a changing world, n.d.

 

As alarming as it might appear to read that such claims have been publicly released in the 21^st century in Italy, it is even more disturbing to discover that they also received the sponsorship of regional professional associations. Despite the arguable expertise of the speakers in training others on such matters, the event unanimously received the sponsorship of the Professional Association of the Psychologists of Emilia-Romagna, the Professional Association of the Doctors, Surgeons, and Dentists of Emilia-Romagna, and last but not least the Ministry of Research and Higher Education (Ministero dell’Istruzione, Universita’ e Ricerca – MIUR).

Alerted by the stunning incongruence of the deontological guidelines of the associations and the scientific literature, with the background of the speakers, a local association called “Un Secco NO” (literally meaning “A Sharp NO”, with reference to saying a sharp NO to the discrimination, verbal abuse, and psychological harassment that LGBTI+ people face daily in Italy) promptly wrote to the professional associations and the MIUR seeking clarification for the choice of giving sponsorship to the event, and requesting to withdraw it.

However, in response to their request dated 20th June 2017 and 28th August 2017, “Un Secco NO” received very brief replies. The official position of the Association of the Psychologists of Emilia-Romagna drops any responsibility for voting unanimously in favour of the sponsorship. They claim that they were not entitled to refuse it and, according to previous regulations, it would have been an abuse of power to block it. It would be worth reminding them that accountability of institutional decision makers has gotten a great deal of attention, even in the psychological literature that the voters seem to have neglected.

Another argument the Professional Associations brought forward is that there is no evidence that the speakers will actually embrace trans-homophobic, sexist, and anti-scientific positions, nor make any such a claim. Well, here we can venture in a similar scenario and show how weak this argument is. Suppose there is a potential speaker who has made racist claims in the past, belongs to notoriously racist movements, and signs petitions in favour of racism. Would we consider them eligible to speak on a symposium or even train others on interculture and peace among peoples? We would be reasonably targeted as fools. However, we would reply that the speaker hasn’t opened their mouth yet, so we cannot really expect them to make any racist claim. We would probably be considered even more fool.

But today, in Italy, the same situation is happening with the LGBTI+ community and, as such, citizens are being made fools of. People who have, individually or collectively, asked for clarity and accountability on inviting trans-homophobic and sexist speakers, under the name of ‘science’, are being failed by the very institutions and bodies that should protect them.

The weight of scientific research agrees that homosexuality is not a pathological condition (APA, 1980, 2013; WHO, 1992), whereas transsexuality can be considered a pathology, and therefore diagnosed as Gender Dysphoria (APA, 2013), only when it causes significant distress in the person experiencing it. This means that both homosexuality and transsexuality are not inherently pathological. Not being heterosexual and/or cisgender is not a sign of developmental deficit, the consequence of a traumatic parental upbringing, or a deviance (Richards and Meg-John, 2015; Johnson, 2015; Stainton Rogers and Stainton Rogers, 2001).

Conversely, international scientific literature agrees on the detrimental effects of heterosexism (and homophobia, biphobia, transphobia) on mental and physical health, of LGBTI+ people. LGBTI+ people leaving in homophobic countries are more likely to face stigma and discrimination, and therefore having higher rates of alcohol and drug abuse, anxiety and depression, suicide, and school dropping out (Cochran, Sullivan, & Mays, 2003; Abelson, Lambevski, Crawford, Bartos, & Kippax, 2006 ; Cochran & Mays, 2009; Feinstein, Goldfried, & Davila, 2012). LGBTI+ children, adolescents, and young adults are even more vulnerable to the toxic homophobic environment they live in in schools, families, sport, etc. (Russell and Fish, 2016; Ahuja, Webster, Gibson, Brewer, Toledo, and Russell, 2015; Burton, Marshal, Chisolm, Sucato, and Friedman, 2013). Moreover, not only LGBTI+ people but also heterosexual cisgender people suffer from a social and cultural environment that precludes the manifestation of diversity by ordinarily stigmatising and repressing identities other than cisgender heterosexuality. In other words, not only LGBTI+ people but also heterosexual cisgender people could be healthier in more inclusive societies.

This scenario may look unreal to a foreign eye, but it is all too common for Italians. Despite Italy being constitutionally a secular country, it still suffers from a never-ending interference of the Roman Catholic Church in matters of politics, society and education. The Roman Catholic Church has been recognised in the scientific literature as one of the major obstacles to an inclusive society with detrimental effects on citizens’ mental health (Ward, 2015; Figueroa and Tasker, 2014). For a long time the Roman Catholic Church has acted as a veto player, for example delaying for decades the recognition of civil rights in Italy and elsewhere (Knill and Preidel, 2015; Bonnin, 2013). Once more, on a local scale, the Roman Catholic Church exerts its power through the many (narcissistic and Machiavellian) personalities that blindly embrace its normative ideology.

It is time to show international and academic indignation for the power abuse of institutional Religion, and seek for solidarity in denouncing it whenever and wherever it occurs. In this line, we call for any reader to be aware of this issue, share our struggle, and join our collective resistance.

 

If you wish to support us, please do share this post, and sign the petition at the following link: https://secure.avaaz.org/it/petition/ORDINE_DEGLI_PSICOLOGI_EMILIAROMAGNA_ORDINE_DEI_MEDICI_FORLICESENA_MIUR_RIMOZIONE_DEL_PATROCINIO/?cdUdpmb. It is in Italian, and it calls for the immediate withdrawal of the sponsorships.

 

I would like to thank Prof. Carl Walker, Prof. Matthew Adams, Dr. Alex Simpson, and Dr. Salvatore Di Martino for their support and feedback on the drafts.

 

Dr. Anna Zoli,

Forlì native and grown up pupil, Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Brighton.

 

 

REFERENCES

 

Abelson , J., Lambevski, S., Crawford, J., Bartos, M., & Kippax, S. (2006). Factors associated with ‘feeling suicidal’: the role of sexual identity. Journal of Homosexuality, 51(1), 59 – 80.

Ahuja, A., Webster, C., Gibson, N., Brewer, A., Toledo, S., & Russell, S. (2015). Bullying and suicide: The mental health crisis of LGBTQ youth and how you can help. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Mental Health, 19(2), 125-144.

American Psychiatric Association (1980). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.

American Psychiatric Association (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Pub.

Bonnin, J. E. (2013). Scenes of Explicit Catholicism: The Pope and the Political Meanings of Religion in Argentina. Journal of Latin American Cultural Studies, 22(2), 123-138.

Burton, C. M., Marshal, M. P., Chisolm, D. J., Sucato, G. S., & Friedman, M. S. (2013). Sexual minority-related victimization as a mediator of mental health disparities in sexual minority youth: A longitudinal analysis. Journal of youth and adolescence, 42(3), 394-402.

Cochran, S. D., & Mays, V. M. (2009). Burden of psychiatric morbidity among lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals in the California Quality of Life Survey. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 118, 647-658.

Cochran, S. D., Sullivan, J., & Mays, V. M. (2003). Prevalence of mental disorders, psychological distress, and mental services use among lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults in the United States. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 71, 53 – 61.

Feinstein, B. A., Goldfried, M. R., & Davila, J. (2012). The relationship between experiences of discrimination and mental health among lesbians and gay men: an examination of internalized homonegativity and rejection sensitivity as potential mechanisms. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 80, 917 – 92.

Figueroa, V., & Tasker, F. (2014). “I always have the idea of sin in my mind.…”: Family of origin, religion, and Chilean young gay men. Journal of GLBT Family Studies, 10(3), 269-297.

Johnson, K. (2015). Sexuality: A psychosocial manifesto. John Wiley & Sons.

Knill, C., & Preidel, C. (2015). Institutional opportunity structures and the Catholic Church: explaining variation in the regulation of same-sex partnerships in Ireland and Italy. Journal of European Public Policy, 22(3), 374-390.

Meyer, I. H. (2003). Prejudice, social stress, and mental health in lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations: conceptual issues and research evidence. Psychological bulletin, 129(5), 674.

Mongelli, A. (n.d.). Incrementare il familiare in un mondo che cambia. Retrieved from: www.siti.chiesacattolica.it/siti/allegati/38/RelazioneMongelli.doc.

Richards, Christina, and Meg-John Barker. eds. (2015). The Palgrave handbook of the psychology of sexuality and gender. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Russell, S. T., & Fish, J. N. (2016). Mental health in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth. Annual review of clinical psychology, 12, 465-487.

Scicchitano, M. (2015). La Manif Pour Tous Italia. In Segreteria Commissione Giustizia Senato, Audizioni sui Disegni di Legge Nn. 14 e Connessi (Disciplina delle Coppie di Fatto e delle Unioni Civili) Contributi degli Auditi, pp.66-69. Retrieved from: https://www.senato.it/application/xmanager/projects/leg17/attachments/documento_evento_procedura_commissione/files/000/002/507/raccolta_contributi_FEBBRAIO.pdf.

Stainton Rogers, W., & Stainton Rogers, R. (2001). The psychology of gender and sexuality: An introduction. Buckingham: Open University Press.

Suicidi gay, bufera su Gandolfini (2015, April 22), Corriere della Sera Brescia. Retrieved from: http://brescia.corriere.it/notizie/cronaca/15_aprile_22/suicidi-gay-bufera-gandolfini-primario-poliambulanza-brescia-lgbt-attaccano-905e36c8-e8ca-11e4-88e2-ee599686c70e.shtml.

Ward, K. (2015). The role of the Anglican and Catholic Churches in Uganda in public discourse on homosexuality and ethics. Journal of Eastern African Studies, 9(1), 127-144.

World Health Organization (1992). The ICD-10 classification of mental and behavioural disorders: Clinical descriptions and diagnostic guidelines. Geneva: WHO.