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The health authority of the town of La Spezia, in northern Italy, included homosexuals in the vaccination protocol against covid-19, which it characterized as risk and priority subjects, generating controversy and criticism at the national level.
The controversy arose when Ferrucio Sansa, a candidate supported by the Democratic Party (PD, center left) and the 5-Star Movement (M5S) in the 2020 regional elections in Liguria, condemned local health authorities for including homosexuals on the list. of “people” with risky behaviors, along with drug addicts and others related to prostitution. “
The registration form was distributed by citizens as part of the national vaccination campaign against the new coronavirus, in order to be able to manage the stocks of vaccines destined for priority groups.
The complaints came immediately and Senator Mónica Cirinnà, promoter of the law that recognizes civil unions between homosexuals since 2016, said it was “unacceptable” that a reference to homosexuality appeared among risky behaviors as a way to access any service of health.
“It is a serious violation of personal dignity, a sign of a culture that is still widespread and that tends to stigmatize homosexuality,” Cirinnà said.
The director of the local health entity, Paolo Cavagnaro, has already apologized. “It is a clear mistake, we recognize it, that we are also trying to find an explanation, so we can only apologize,” he said.
The case took shape on Thursday when it was discovered that the form had been removed directly from the Italian Ministry of Health website last October.
The president of the region of Liguria, the conservative Giovanni Toti, described the situation as “incredible and shameful” and accused the opposition of wanting to create confusion without first checking the facts.
Regarding the incredible and embarrassing inclusion of homosexuals among ‘subjects as risk factors’ for vaccination priorities, it was found that, after a first internal investigation, the error originates from a copy of the ministerial guidelines. Obviously, this multiplies the error, although it does not eliminate it, “Toti wrote on his Facebook page.
“All this gives me reason for the total inability, ignorance, bad faith and clumsiness of the opposition in Liguria, which continues to accuse me without investigating or investigating what happened before,” Toti added, referring to Sansa. who was the one who detected the error.
In a statement, the Ministry of Health explained that “only behavior determines people’s risk and not their sexual orientation” and acknowledged that it is “an old document used for blood donations.”
“Ministerial documents of old and outdated forms will be corrected immediately,” added the Italian government.
