Mika in Italian Press -- 2010-2015

[*Denise*]

The letter he wrote about this problem is really moving and touching.
I think Mika is a very kind person and I think he didn't deserve all this hate....I'm so sorry for him..I'm sorry too for all people that suffer this situation! 
In this letter I found the sadness..but, at the same time, the letter is full of strength and courage. I'm proud of him and I hope for him a future as positive as possible...
 

[Elwendin]

Here it is: 

 

Scanned pics by Lucrezia

Translation by me, Alyara and *Vv*

 

 

 

Mika: Hadn't I responded to the insults, I would have betrayed my 13 y.o. self. 

 

When I saw the pic of my dirtied face on the poster in Florence on Instagram, I felt sad, humiliated. My first instinct was: don’t say anything to anybody, don’t react, don’t move. I'm on tour, I can turn away from it, perform and feel good. I can push away the insults. 

 

But the fans started to talk about it, my friends started to text me. And I realised that my first reaction was the same one I used to have back in the day, it was the reaction of a very young boy who was feeling helpless. That's how I used to be at school: defenceless. Had I responded back then, they would have beaten me and I would have come up with nothing but coming back home with a bruised face. I know about bullying, they would pick on me. 

 

Because of racism, because my mother was fat or because we had financial issues in that period. But mostly, 80% of the time, because of my sexuality. Even before I was even aware of my own sexuality.

 

When you're a kid and get attacked, you think that you can't fight back, because if you do, those things would become even bigger, as big as a mountain. When I was a child my payback has always been slow, mirrored and spread in the long term. I tried to move my focus away from my condition, I concentrated on the future. 

 

When I had to face that poster, I felt like the boy I used to be. And my instinctive response was to lick my wounds, shut my eyes and project myself in the future. It's an automatic reflex, which is shared by most people who are bullied: turn away, keep everything for yourself. 

 

Then I understood. That was one of the few times in my life when I had been forced to choose a direct confrontation on bullying and homophobia, I realised how much things have changed, how much I have changed. It's for people's reactions on socials, for my friends and, I have to admit, for my coworkers. Some of them are gay and got hurt because they are connected to what I do every day: they felt like they had been insulted themselves. 

 

I realised that, yes, there was my automatic response because of what I endured and because of some old defence instinct, but now I'm in a privileged position: I'm on tour, I'm free and surrounded by free people, I’ve built my own world where I can do what I believe in and provoke tolerance through my music and my concerts. It's a huge luxury. 

 

By refusing to acknowledge those insults I would've made a mistake: I would've forgotten the 13 y.o. I once was and I would've hurt all the people who don't have that luxury and that privilege. I can get on stage. But when you're young and that word concerns you, if you look at that billboard and you don't find any answer to shield yourself with, then it means you've been abandoned. You lose hope and you find yourself even weaker. I couldn't allow that, exactly because of the things that changed in my life: I would've left myself and so many others alone. It doesn't matter whether you're 14 or 64, when you see such a thing you react in the same way, because it affects you. 

 

That's the reason why I decided to use that image as a profile pic on Twitter and Instagram. It was exactly what would've scared me at the age of 13. I wasn't that brave back then, I couldn't be. I did the opposite of the thing I would've done at school. 

 

I've been called like that all my life: I used to take those insults, I used to turn them into music, put them in my drawings. Last Saturday was the first time I told myself: why not to put them out there and use them as a flag fluttering above the heads of all those people who write and think like that? This was Oscar Wilde's greatness: he could take hypocrisy and throw it back in people's faces, sometimes there's nothing more appropriate than inappropriate actions! That's why Wilde is one of my Good Guys. 

 

I could have written five thousands words, could have told them to go to hell, could have said that I would never go back to Florence (but not for me, I love Florence!), I could have used my column as an outlet, comparing homophobia to sexism and machismo. But with that “visual declaration”, with that sign which has become a flag, I accomplished it without being violent nor aggressive, without getting lost in sermons. It was beautiful to see how an image could turn out to be powerful. For my mum as well. She didn’t say much, but she reflected herself in this episode, as she faced a tough period when she was a teenager. She’s never been compensated for what she has had to face: this is a sort of compensation for her and came through one of her kids. She stared at me, she squeezed her eyes and smiled as someone who finally found rest.

 

The most complicated thing now, is understanding how we can go beyond that image, downright because of its power. A bunch of people wanted to replicate my deed: they took that image, added their photograph, and the slogan “let’s break the silence”. Facebook blocked their profiles for 30 hours, this goes to show that this word is still sensitive and hard.

 

Therefore: if they offend you, is it right to turn an insult – that remains an insult – into a flag? It is, when it provokes a constructive discussion, when it helps people to think about how a superficial and stupid epithet can make other people feel. However, that word still hurts. It’s still a really strong one, it has many negative implications and can really hurt. We can’t accept it as a normal word. But let’s stop pretending it doesn’t exist: that would be much more dangerous.

Edited August 13, 2015 by Elwendin

[tiibet]

It's a very touching letter,he is gifted at writing for sure    When this whole campaign started,my first thought was that he should ignore it,and move on. But then I said to myself : what if it would have been MY picture on that defaced poster? How I'd feel about it? How he must feel seeing that? And I realized that no one can judge this situation from his perspective,because actually no one is in his shoes. If he decided to take a stand this time,and take advantage of his popularity,that was a smart move,and I'm glad it's already transcending the italian borders 

 

 

The letter he wrote about this problem is really moving and touching.

I think Mika is a very kind person and I think he didn't deserve all this hate....I'm so sorry for him..I'm sorry too for all people that suffer this situation! 

In this letter I found the sadness..but, at the same time, the letter is full of strength and courage. I'm proud of him and I hope for him a future as positive as possible...

 

 

I have these same feelings... I would never link him hate pictures or messages, I want to protect him from things like that. But now when it has happened, I'm really proud how he reacted and how strong he seems to be and happy that so many people in Italy are supporting him and also that the campaign is getting so much publicity everywhere. It's such an important issue. 

 

A huge thank you to the translating team for the translation He writes sensitive and wise words. I feel so bad he has to face insults like this. Hope everything happening now makes him feel stronger. 

[Littlelady]

Thank you for translation, ladies :hug:

[mamiam]

Thanks a million, translating team!!  This is such an important, and touching letter from MIKA - he feels the responsability, on behalf of so many people, suffering from this madness.  "But nothing's only words - that's how hearts get hurt" Now I do hope that his words make people think, and that a lot of unhappy people will feel comfort by this letter.  I've never been more proud of MIKA than today!  I got tears in my eyes,  by the way he describes  the reaction of his mother - the love and understanding between the two - like they had finally won this huge fight, together    I hope this letter will be spread worldwide, and make people understand what a diamond of a person our MIKA really is...  

 

Love,love

me

[Dreamy_Queen]

Thank you SO MUCH for the translation! It is not the same, than reading in google I was so touched reading Italian version, but now I dunno what I need more - hug him   or take a bow  I think there are tons of tweets about how proud we are to be his fans, but I want to state it again and again. 

[CarolinaAsh]

Wanna cry.

[tgwktm]

 

Here it is: 

 

Scanned pics by Lucrezia

Translation by me, Alyara and *Vv*

 

 

 

Mika: Hadn't I responded to the insults, I would have betrayed my 13 y.o. self. 

 

When I saw the pic of my dirtied face on the poster in Firenze on Instagram, I felt sad, humiliated. My first instinct was: don’t say anything to anybody, don’t react, don’t move. I'm on tour, I can turn away from it, perform and feel good. I can push away the insults. 

 

But the fans started to talk about it, my friends started to text me. And I realised that my first reaction was the same one I used to have back in the day, it was the reaction of a very young boy who was feeling helpless. That's how I used to be at school: defenceless. Had I responded back then, they would have beaten me and I would have come up with nothing but coming back home with a bruised face. I know about bullying, they would pick on me. 

 

Because of racism, because my mother was fat or because we had financial issues in that period. But mostly, 80% of the time, because of my sexuality. Even before I was even aware of my own sexuality.

 

When you're a kid and get attacked, you think that you can't fight back, because if you do, those things would become even bigger, as big as a mountain. When I was a child my payback has always been slow, mirrored and spread in the long term. I tried to move my focus away from my condition, I concentrated on the future. 

 

When I had to face that poster, I felt like the boy I used to be. And my instinctive response was to lick my wounds, shut my eyes and project myself in the future. It's an automatic reflex, which is shared by most people who are bullied: turn away, keep everything for yourself. 

 

Then I understood. That was one of the few times in my life when I had been forced to choose a direct confrontation on bullying and homophobia, I realised how much things have changed, how much I have changed. It's for people's reactions on socials, for my friends and, I have to admit, for my coworkers. Some of them are gay and got hurt because they are connected to what I do every day: they felt like they had been insulted themselves. 

 

I realised that, yes, there was my automatic response because of what I endured and because of some old defence instinct, but now I'm in a privileged position: I'm on tour, I'm free and surrounded by free people, I’ve built my own world where I can do what I believe in and provoke tolerance through my music and my concerts. It's a huge luxury. 

 

By refusing to acknowledge those insults I would've made a mistake: I would've forgotten the 13 y.o. I once was and I would've hurt all the people who don't have that luxury and that privilege. I can get on stage. But when you're young and that word concerns you, if you look at that billboard and you don't find any answer to shield yourself with, then it means you've been abandoned. You lose hope and you find yourself even weaker. I couldn't allow that, exactly because of the things that changed in my life: I would've left myself and so many others alone. It doesn't matter whether you're 14 or 64, when you see such a thing you react in the same way, because it affects you. 

 

That's the reason why I decided to use that image as a profile pic on Twitter and Instagram. It was exactly what would've scared me at the age of 13. I wasn't that brave back then, I couldn't be. I did the opposite of the thing I would've done at school. 

 

I've been called like that all my life: I used to take those insults, I used to turn them into music, put them in my drawings. Last Saturday was the first time I told myself: why not to put them out there and use them as a flag fluttering above the heads of all those people who write and think like that? This was Oscar Wilde's greatness: he could take hypocrisy and throw it back in people's faces, sometimes there's nothing more appropriate than inappropriate actions! That's why Wilde is one of my Good Guys. 

 

I could have written five thousands words, could have told them to go to hell, could have said that I would never go back to Florence (but not for me, I love Florence!), I could have used my column as an outlet, comparing homophobia to sexism and machismo. But with that “visual declaration”, with that sign which has become a flag, I accomplished it without being violent nor aggressive, without getting lost in sermons. It was beautiful to see how an image could turn out to be powerful. For my mum as well. She didn’t say much, but she reflected herself in this episode, as she faced a tough period when she was a teenager. She’s never been compensated for what she has had to face: this is a sort of compensation for her and came through one of her kids. She stared at me, she squeezed her eyes and smiled as someone who finally found rest.

 

The most complicated thing now, is understanding how we can go beyond that image, downright because of its power. A bunch of people wanted to replicate my deed: they took that image, added their photograph, and the slogan “let’s break the silence”. Facebook blocked their profiles for 30 hours, this goes to show that this word is still sensitive and hard.

 

Therefore: if they offend you, is it right to turn an insult – that remains an insult – into a flag? It is, when it provokes a constructive discussion, when it helps people to think about how a superficial and stupid epithet can make other people feel. Anyway, that word still hurts. It’s still a really strong one, it has many negative implications and can really hurt. We can’t accept it as a normal word. But let’s stop pretending it doesn’t exist: that would be much more dangerous.

 

I am overwhelmed by how amazingly strong mika is and i hope this experience just makes him stronger. he is such an inspiration and i love him loads and loads because of this.

 

I partially love this bit:

 

"This was Oscar Wilde's greatness: he could take hypocrisy and throw it back in people's faces, sometimes there's nothing more appropriate than inappropriate actions! That's why Wilde is one of my Good Guys. "

 

Oscar Wilde is one of my heroes too, I first admired him  through studying his play 'the importance of being earnest' at college. I loved how the whole play was poking fun at high class society with all their silly rules, habits and expectations but what i loved the most is the irony resulted from the fact that high class coiety loved those plays. I think he and mika have a lot in common, and I reckon they would have got on well if oscar wilde had been around today.

I also think he would have been honored to be the centre of such an inspirational and strong song that is 'good guys'.

[cathouzouf]

It's a very touching letter,he is gifted at writing for sure When this whole campaign started,my first thought was that he should ignore it,and move on. But then I said to myself : what if it would have been MY picture on that defaced poster? How I'd feel about it? How he must feel seeing that? And I realized that no one can judge this situation from his perspective,because actually no one is in his shoes. If he decided to take a stand this time,and take advantage of his popularity,that was a smart move,and I'm glad it's already transcending the italian borders

Couldn't have said it better!

[AnnaMariaPetra]

Thanks for the translation.

 

Really, those people got their facebook accounts blocked?! That is ridiculous!

[Marilyn Mastin]

 

Here it is: 

 

Scanned pics by Lucrezia

Translation by me, Alyara and *Vv*

 

 

 

Mika: Hadn't I responded to the insults, I would have betrayed my 13 y.o. self. 

 

When I saw the pic of my dirtied face on the poster in Firenze on Instagram, I felt sad, humiliated. My first instinct was: don’t say anything to anybody, don’t react, don’t move. I'm on tour, I can turn away from it, perform and feel good. I can push away the insults. 

 

But the fans started to talk about it, my friends started to text me. And I realised that my first reaction was the same one I used to have back in the day, it was the reaction of a very young boy who was feeling helpless. That's how I used to be at school: defenceless. Had I responded back then, they would have beaten me and I would have come up with nothing but coming back home with a bruised face. I know about bullying, they would pick on me. 

 

Because of racism, because my mother was fat or because we had financial issues in that period. But mostly, 80% of the time, because of my sexuality. Even before I was even aware of my own sexuality.

 

When you're a kid and get attacked, you think that you can't fight back, because if you do, those things would become even bigger, as big as a mountain. When I was a child my payback has always been slow, mirrored and spread in the long term. I tried to move my focus away from my condition, I concentrated on the future. 

 

When I had to face that poster, I felt like the boy I used to be. And my instinctive response was to lick my wounds, shut my eyes and project myself in the future. It's an automatic reflex, which is shared by most people who are bullied: turn away, keep everything for yourself. 

 

Then I understood. That was one of the few times in my life when I had been forced to choose a direct confrontation on bullying and homophobia, I realised how much things have changed, how much I have changed. It's for people's reactions on socials, for my friends and, I have to admit, for my coworkers. Some of them are gay and got hurt because they are connected to what I do every day: they felt like they had been insulted themselves. 

 

I realised that, yes, there was my automatic response because of what I endured and because of some old defence instinct, but now I'm in a privileged position: I'm on tour, I'm free and surrounded by free people, I’ve built my own world where I can do what I believe in and provoke tolerance through my music and my concerts. It's a huge luxury. 

 

By refusing to acknowledge those insults I would've made a mistake: I would've forgotten the 13 y.o. I once was and I would've hurt all the people who don't have that luxury and that privilege. I can get on stage. But when you're young and that word concerns you, if you look at that billboard and you don't find any answer to shield yourself with, then it means you've been abandoned. You lose hope and you find yourself even weaker. I couldn't allow that, exactly because of the things that changed in my life: I would've left myself and so many others alone. It doesn't matter whether you're 14 or 64, when you see such a thing you react in the same way, because it affects you. 

 

That's the reason why I decided to use that image as a profile pic on Twitter and Instagram. It was exactly what would've scared me at the age of 13. I wasn't that brave back then, I couldn't be. I did the opposite of the thing I would've done at school. 

 

I've been called like that all my life: I used to take those insults, I used to turn them into music, put them in my drawings. Last Saturday was the first time I told myself: why not to put them out there and use them as a flag fluttering above the heads of all those people who write and think like that? This was Oscar Wilde's greatness: he could take hypocrisy and throw it back in people's faces, sometimes there's nothing more appropriate than inappropriate actions! That's why Wilde is one of my Good Guys. 

 

I could have written five thousands words, could have told them to go to hell, could have said that I would never go back to Florence (but not for me, I love Florence!), I could have used my column as an outlet, comparing homophobia to sexism and machismo. But with that “visual declaration”, with that sign which has become a flag, I accomplished it without being violent nor aggressive, without getting lost in sermons. It was beautiful to see how an image could turn out to be powerful. For my mum as well. She didn’t say much, but she reflected herself in this episode, as she faced a tough period when she was a teenager. She’s never been compensated for what she has had to face: this is a sort of compensation for her and came through one of her kids. She stared at me, she squeezed her eyes and smiled as someone who finally found rest.

 

The most complicated thing now, is understanding how we can go beyond that image, downright because of its power. A bunch of people wanted to replicate my deed: they took that image, added their photograph, and the slogan “let’s break the silence”. Facebook blocked their profiles for 30 hours, this goes to show that this word is still sensitive and hard.

 

Therefore: if they offend you, is it right to turn an insult – that remains an insult – into a flag? It is, when it provokes a constructive discussion, when it helps people to think about how a superficial and stupid epithet can make other people feel. Anyway, that word still hurts. It’s still a really strong one, it has many negative implications and can really hurt. We can’t accept it as a normal word. But let’s stop pretending it doesn’t exist: that would be much more dangerous.

 

Our translators always do a wonderful job. Thank you!

[Yuna]

Huge thanks to Translators! I just translated all to Korean again and posted in our forum. 

I rarely say that - I'm really proud to be fan of Mika. This reminded myself that I personally respect him so much and feel amazed to his columns that must have been come from his perspective of life getting over all difficulties in his life. 

Edited August 12, 2015 by Yuna

[crazyaboutmika]

Thank you so much for the scans and translation girls Mika's words are at the same time so moving and so powerful. Thanks to Mika , such a good guy indeed and I hope what he started will open a path to more tolerance and equal rights in more and more countries all over the world . I'm so proud of what he wrote

[Emelyne412]

Thanks a lot for your translations !

I wanna cry too, his article is very honest and true.

[mine]

Thanks a lot for the translation

This story is revolting and makes me sad but I'm very touched by Mika's reaction, brave and full of humanity! Thanks to people like him, the mentalities evolve little by little

[Marta.]

This man is able to touch people souls. Simple and moving words. And sincere. It is impossible to have any doubts...they are absolutely true.

Edited August 12, 2015 by Marta.

[Starlight]

Thanks a lot for the translation

This story is revolting and makes me sad but I'm very touched by Mika's reaction, brave and full of humanity! Thanks to people like him, the mentalities evolve little by little

I'm close to crying... It's touching me so much...

[dilarat]

Wanna cry.

Me too so bad

[~TheLoveYouBreathe]

Very touching letter! It's honest and focused... I can read all his feeling: his childhood suffering, his strenght and his hopes with this campaign.

Mika is really a special man and he deserves all the love.   

[RAK1]

Thanks for the translation.

 

Really, those people got their facebook accounts blocked?! That is ridiculous!

It was only because of the word, which on FB is deemed offensive, so they were blocked.

[AnnaMariaPetra]

It was only because of the word, which on FB is deemed offensive, so they were blocked.

Mmm, facebook is a dumb robot. 

[RAK1]

Thank you ladies of the subtitle team, you guys rock   

 

I love reading Mikas columns, they are always very enlightening.

This piece clearly came from the heart, and when I got to where he wrote that he felt helpless at 13, when things of this nature happened to him, it  really got to me. It must have been so soul destroying for him at that age to feel like he was more or less alone, even though his family supported him, when it happens, and the support isn't there at the time, it must feel so hard to deal with. 

Bullying is bad enough at the best of times, but when you have more than one thing going against you, and a group of kids are determined to make your life miserable, especially when homophobia is thrown into the mix, it must feel like there is absolutely no way out. 

Thankfully for Mika, his family was, and is there for him. Sadly for many, no matter what country they are in, even in the most tolerant places, there are groups of homophobic idiots, and some of the kids targeted, aren't as lucky to have the support from their family. So they go through the torture alone, and it breaks my heart to think of this happening in this day and age.

Normally, I don't hold with kids looking to celebrity as a role model, a lot of celebs are very poor examples to look up to.

I'm not even sure I feel that kids should even look on Mika as one, BUT, with what he has done here,with pushing the 'break the silence' hashtag, I think is a great step forward to help LGBT kids feel they are NOT alone, there ARE people out there who WANT to help.

Edited August 12, 2015 by RAK1

[charlie20]

This is the article:

 

La rete si risveglia oggi al “suono” del hashtag #rompiamoilsilenzio lanciato da Mika e l’eco mediatico è tale che questa frase entra subito nei trend topic di Twitter.

Perché ci vogliono convincere che il nostro sia un paese che ha altre priorità, che non necessita di leggi contro la violenza di carattere discriminatorio (che sia discriminazione per il colore della pelle, per la religione o per l’orientamento sessuale poco importa)…

Perché vogliono convincerci che al popolo italiano non interessa se due persone dello stesso sesso che si amano non hanno nessun diritto… se vengono insultate e derise per la strada… se vengono picchiate a sangue…

E nel frattempo giovani ragazzi si tolgono la vita, vengono insultati e picchiati per il loro orientamento sessuale (vero o presunto) mentre persone meno giovani vivono una vita segreta incapaci di sfuggire al pregiudizio, alla paura e alla vergogna che la nostra società ci ha impiantato dentro come un microchip.

E allora Rompere il silenzio è necessario perché viviamo in un paese in cui se vedi un manifesto di un cantante, in questo caso Mika, non ci disegni i baffi, non gli fai le corna in testa… no, ci scrivi sopra FROCIO.

Ma se qualcuno si fosse perso l’accaduto in questa domenica d’agosto veniamo ai fatti…

Mika terrà un concerto al Nelson Mandela Forum il prossimo 30 settembre e, ovviamente, per le strade della città sono stati appesi i manifesti che pubblicizzano l’evento.

Succede che qualcuno con molto tempo libero, al punto da essere inconsapevole che forse sarebbe meglio se impiegasse quel tempo prezioso a cercare di farsi prima un esame di coscienza, quindi a studiare un po’ di storia partendo magari dalle parole Hitler e Genocidio, deturpi il manifesto con un enorme scritta: “FROCIO“.

Giornali e siti web prima a questa parola hanno aggiunto i più svariati aggettivi… vergognosa, squallida, idiota… io non lo farò per un semplice motivo. Non starò qui a fingere che quella parola la usino solo pochi deficienti come chi ha “decorato” quel manifesto.

Non starò qui a fingere che l’offesa più usata tra i giovani al giorno d’oggi non sia FROCIO DI MERDA… no ragazzi mi spiace dirvelo ma come direbbe qualcuno “FROCIO DI MERDA is the new FIGLIO DI PUTTANA“. Non ci credete?

Fatevi un giro in un qualsiasi posto frequentato da adolescenti (e non solo)… un oratorio, un cinema, un centro commerciale, un luna park… vanno bene anche le strade del centro di Milano, fatevi un giro osservate i giovani in gruppo e ascoltateli… capirete che purtroppo quella parola viene usata come il peggior insulto da rivolgere al ragazzo di sesso maschile di turno. Non esiste per gran parte di loro insulto peggiore.

Provare per credere…. io la scorsa settimana stavo tornando da Arezzo in treno, nel mio vagone c’era un intera scolaresca di adolescenti di ritorno da una gita con le suore… due ore di viaggio con cinque adolescenti imbizzarriti che, tra un pugno e uno spintone, quando dovevano davvero farsi male tiravano fuori la parolina magica “Sei uno schifoso frocio di merda… ricchione“.

Alcune volte questa parola la sentirete sbandierata, altre volte sarà un semplice sussurro accompagnato da qualche risatina stupida.

Rammento ancora oggi dove mi trovavo quando Tiziano Ferro fece outing attraverso le pagine di Vanity Fair. Un gesto molto coraggioso.

Era un mercoledì di novembre quando l’intervista uscì se non ricordo male e, ovviamente, le edicole era tappezzate con la copertina della rivista con il titolo ben in evidenza “TIZIANO FERRO: Mi voglio innamorare di un uomo“.

Ricordo che quella mattina entrai in un tabacchi e quando uscii c’erano quattro o cinque ragazze diciottenni (o poco meno) all’uscita dal negozio. Come delle comari di paese ciacolavano: “Ma hai sentito? Ferro è frocio. mamma mia che delusione” e un’altra gli faceva eco: “davvero, ma chissà come mai…“.

Il resto della conversazione ve lo risparmio perché ci sarebbe davvero da mandarle in esilio sull’isola d’Elba.

Per fortuna i giovani non sono tutti così (e questo va sottolineato!)… per fortuna in alcuni casi la musica riesce ad andare oltre l’ignoranza delle persone e posso dire che è stato bello qualche settimana fa vedere lo stadio San Siro di Milano pieno di gente che cantava le canzoni di Tiziano; persone di tutte le età, di tutte le provenienze geografiche e sociali… anche persone che magari se vedono un omosessuale pensano ancora che serva mettersi spalle al muro… però erano lì a cantare… e questo è un piccolo segno che possiamo ancora sperare.

Sperare si, ma senza dimenticarci che per quel che riguarda la discriminazione sessuale il nostro paese ha ancora un sacco di problemi.

Mancano le leggi, quelle che tutelino dalla violenza e dalle discriminazioni, e quelle che concedano diritti al punto che siamo stati anche redarguiti recentemente dall’Unione Europea.

Delle leggi sarebbero un primo grande passo in un paese come il nostro in cui questa benedetta famiglia del “Mulino bianco” (sempre che la famiglia del Mulino bianco rappresenti quella tradizionale, ma è un modo di dire) non si sa di cosa abbia paura, forse che gli omosessuali gli interrompano la produzione di Tegolini?

Ma purtroppo il problema più grande del nostro paese è culturale.

Le nostre scuole non sono attrezzate ad insegnare fin dalle elementari il rispetto per le diversità, quali esse siano, e questo è un processo che dovrebbe partire immediatamente.

Va detto che insieme alle scuole sarebbe il caso che questa cultura e questo rispetto venga insegnato in primis anche ai nostri politici che, in più di un occasione, si sono lasciati scappare frasi infelici o concetti retrogradi, ignoranti e lesivi della dignità degli omosessuali. Mi viene in mente il nome di un politico della Lega a cui spesso viene data parole nei talk show della televisione italiana. Ecco toglietegliela subito. Perché va bene la libertà di pensiero, ma c’è un confine che non andrebbe mai superato, soprattutto da parte di chi ci governa.

“Avevo visto la foto della scritta sui miei manifesti e il mio istinto era di lasciar stare… che l’odio di alcune persone, una cosa che conosco bene, era meglio ignorata. Ma voi avete ragione #rompiamoilsilenzio non ho paura di chi mi discrimina. Nessuno deve averne. L’amore fa quel che vuole“.

Queste sono state le parole di Mika in risposta a quella scritta sul suo manifesto ed ora se ne sta parlando tanto e questo è un bene.

Ma è anche vero che questo eco mediatico arriva dal fatto che un personaggio noto ha deciso di non stare zitto e rispondere per le rime agli insulti. Quello che non deve assolutamente accadere e che questa indignazione duri qualche giorno o settimana al massimo per poi svanire nel nulla.

La notizia di un ragazzo picchiato da sei coetanei (4 uomini e 2 donne) con pugni, calci e catene a Genova è di pochi giorni fa. Lo hanno aggredito solo perché una delle ragazze era convinta che stesse guardando il suo fidanzato e gli ha urlato contro “brutto gay, non guardare il mio ragazzo“, lui ha cercato di far capire che era solo soprappensiero, ma non c’è stato verso; sceso dal pullman è stato massacrato in una maniera talmente brutale da causargli un ematoma cerebrale che lo ha mandato in coma, salvato in extremis da un intervento di neurochirurgia.

Stiamo parlando di qualcosa accaduto una manciata di giorni fa, eppure quel giorno non c’è stato nessun trend topic su Twitter, qualche tweet qua e là ma perlopiù silenzio…

Ecco a cosa deve servire l’hashtag #rompiamoilsilenzio, a non rassegnarsi, a smetterla di creare divisioni, e a non farsi sentire solo quando ad “alzare la voce” è qualcuno di famoso.

Per Mika in queste ore si sta alzando un coro di tweet e messaggi di solidarietà da parte dei suoi colleghi: Simona Ventura, Eros Ramazzotti, Elisa, Paola Turci, Lorenzo Fragola,Fedez sono solo alcuni dei nomi che si sono espressi al riguardo con parole di solidarietà bellissime perché Mika, prima che un cantante e un’artista, è un uomo, un essere umano. Molti di questi nomi non è la prima volta che si fanno sentire in difesa delle persone discriminate per il loro orientamento sessuale.

Ecco ora però trascorso qualche giorno non tornate in silenzio perché la gente ha bisogno di voi per farsi sentire… voi potete fare di più, non so dirvi cosa, se una petizione, una raccolta firme o una manifestazione, ma avete il “potere” di farvi ascoltare, di chiedere un cambiamento perché sappiamo tutti che, se parte da un personaggio noto che a sua volta coinvolge altri personaggi conosciuti, un messaggio ha un altro eco mediatico rispetto alla gente.

Forse voi avete veramente la possibilità di rompere il silenzio definitivamente con l’aiuto delle persone che vi seguono. Perché la brutta verità di questo paese è che troppo spesso “le persone comuni” non vengono ascoltate da chi le governa.

#rompiamoilsilenzio

 N.B. Ovviamente l’immagine di questo articolo è una provocazione sul fatto che ci sono tanti modi per esprimere che qualcuno non ci piace… fisicamente, caratterialmente… la parola Frocio in una società civile non dovrebbe rientrare tra queste però.

 

 

The meaning of the words is: Ugly, off-key/tone-deaf, unpleasant/annoying (jerk), snob.

The author of the article says: "Of course the image of this article is a provocation on the fact that there are so many ways to express that we don't like someone ... physically, temperamentally ... the word faggot in a civilized society should not be among those, however."

He says that he doesn't want to pretend that this word is used just by a few morons like who "decorated" the poster. With regard to discrimination based upon one’s sexual orientation our country still has a lot of problems. The laws are missing, those that protect from violence and discrimination, and those that grant rights to the point that we were also recently rebuked by the European Union. But unfortunately, the biggest problem of our country is cultural. Because the offense most used among young people nowadays is  "s**tty fag", and unfortunately, that word is used as the worst insult be addressed to any guy . It doesn't exist worst insult for most of them.

"Meanwhile (while many pretend not to notice what's happening) young boys take their own lives, are insulted and beaten for their sexual orientation (real or perceived), while older people are living a secret life unable to escape the prejudice, fear and shame that our society has implanted in us like a microchip."

"So "Break the silence" is necessary because we live in a country where if you see a poster of a singer, in this case Mika, you don’t draw mustache on it/him, you don’t do the horns on his head ... no, you write over it/him Frocio/Fag."

 

 

This is article is a very good reflection: About the situation in Italy regarding the LGBT situation, the daily use of the word frocio, the background of what happened on Twitter of course, that #RompiamoIlSilenzio needs to be voiced also when the big splash is over... And the picture is a pointed provocation that you can say in a lot of ways that you don't like someone. But not using the word "frocio". It's not the opinion of the author about Mika, not at all.

 

Edit: Too slow

 

 

Thank you very much for translating

 

 

this is an AMAZING train of thoughts about the issue, very well conceived.

 

 

 

http://www.allmusicitalia.it/in-direzione-ostinata/mika-lancia-lhashtag-rompiamoilsilenzio-perche-frxcio-is-the-new-figlio-di-puxxana.html

La rete si risveglia oggi al “suono” del hashtag #rompiamoilsilenzio lanciato da Mika e l’eco mediatico è tale che questa frase entra subito nei trend topic di Twitter.

Perché ci vogliono convincere che il nostro sia un paese che ha altre priorità, che non necessita di leggi contro la violenza di carattere discriminatorio (che sia discriminazione per il colore della pelle, per la religione o per l’orientamento sessuale poco importa)…

Perché vogliono convincerci che al popolo italiano non interessa se due persone dello stesso sesso che si amano non hanno nessun diritto… se vengono insultate e derise per la strada… se vengono picchiate a sangue…

E nel frattempo giovani ragazzi si tolgono la vita, vengono insultati e picchiati per il loro orientamento sessuale (vero o presunto) mentre persone meno giovani vivono una vita segreta incapaci di sfuggire al pregiudizio, alla paura e alla vergogna che la nostra società ci ha impiantato dentro come un microchip.

 

E allora Rompere il silenzio è necessario perché viviamo in un paese in cui se vedi un manifesto di un cantante, in questo caso Mika, non ci disegni i baffi, non gli fai le corna in testa… no, ci scrivi sopra FROCIO.

 

Ma se qualcuno si fosse perso l’accaduto in questa domenica d’agosto veniamo ai fatti…

 

Mika terrà un concerto al Nelson Mandela Forum il prossimo 30 settembre e, ovviamente, per le strade della città sono stati appesi i manifesti che pubblicizzano l’evento.

Succede che qualcuno con molto tempo libero, al punto da essere inconsapevole che forse sarebbe meglio se impiegasse quel tempo prezioso a cercare di farsi prima un esame di coscienza, quindi a studiare un po’ di storia partendo magari dalle parole Hitler e Genocidio, deturpi il manifesto con un enorme scritta: “FROCIO“.

 

Giornali e siti web prima a questa parola hanno aggiunto i più svariati aggettivi… vergognosa, squallida, idiota… io non lo farò per un semplice motivo. Non starò qui a fingere che quella parola la usino solo pochi deficenti come chi ha “decorato” quel manifesto.

Non starò qui a fingere che l’offesa più usata tra i giovani al giorno d’oggi non sia FROCIO DI MERDA… no ragazzi mi spiace dirvelo ma come direbbe qualcuno “FROCIO DI MERDA is the new FIGLIO DI PUTTANA“. Non ci credete?

Fatevi un giro in un qualsiasi posto frequentato da adolescenti (e non solo)… un oratorio, un cinema, un centro commerciale, un luna park… vanno bene anche le strade del centro di Milano, fatevi un giro osservate i giovani in gruppo e ascoltateli… capirete che purtroppo quella parola viene usata come il peggior insulto da rivolgere al ragazzo di sesso maschile di turno. Non esiste per gran parte di loro insulto peggiore.

Provare per credere…. io la scorsa settimana stavo tornando da Arezzo in treno, nel mio vagone c’era un intera scolaresca di adolescenti di ritorno da una gita con le suore… due ore di viaggio con cinque adolescenti imbizzarriti che, tra un pugno e uno spintone, quando dovevano davvero farsi male tiravano fuori la parolina magica “Sei uno schifoso frocio di merda… ricchione“.

 

Alcune volte questa parola la sentirete sbandierata, altre volte sarà un semplice sussurro accompagnato da qualche risatina stupida.

Rammento ancora oggi dove mi trovavo quando Tiziano Ferro fece outing attraverso le pagine di Vanity Fair. Un gesto molto coraggioso.

Era un mercoledì di novembre quando l’intervista uscì se non ricordo male e, ovviamente, le edicole era tappezzate con la copertina della rivista con il titolo ben in evidenza “TIZIANO FERRO: Mi voglio innamorare di un uomo“.

Ricordo che quella mattina entrai in un tabacchi e quando uscii c’erano quattro o cinque ragazze diciottenni (o poco meno) all’uscita dal negozio. Come delle comari di paese ciacolavano: “Ma hai sentito? Ferro è frocio. mamma mia che delusione” e un’altra gli faceva eco: “davvero, ma chissà come mai…“.

Il resto della conversazione ve lo risparmio perché ci sarebbe davvero da mandarle in esilio sull’isola d’Elba.

Per fortuna i giovani non sono tutti così (e questo va sottolineato!)… per fortuna in alcuni casi la musica riesce ad andare oltre l’ignoranza delle persone e posso dire che è stato bello qualche settimana fa vedere lo stadio San Siro di Milano pieno di gente che cantava le canzoni di Tiziano; persone di tutte le età, di tutte le provenienze geografiche e sociali… anche persone che magari se vedono un omosessuale pensano ancora che serva mettersi spalle al muro… però erano lì a cantare… e questo è un piccolo segno che possiamo ancora sperare.

 

Sperare si, ma senza dimenticarci che per quel che riguarda la discriminazione sessuale il nostro paese ha ancora un sacco di problemi.

Mancano le leggi, quelle che tutelino dalla violenza e dalle discriminazioni, e quelle che concedano diritti al punto che siamo stati anche redarguiti recentemente dall’Unione Europea.

Delle leggi sarebbero un primo grande passo in un paese come il nostro in cui questa benedetta famiglia del “Mulino bianco” (sempre che la famiglia del Mulino bianco rappresenti quella tradizionale, ma è un modo di dire) non si sa di cosa abbia paura, forse che gli omosessuali gli interrompano la produzione di Tegolini?

Ma purtroppo il problema più grande del nostro paese è culturale.

Le nostre scuole non sono attrezzate ad insegnare fin dalle elementari il rispetto per le diversità, quali esse siano, e questo è un processo che dovrebbe partire immediatamente.

Va detto che insieme alle scuole sarebbe il caso che questa cultura e questo rispetto venga insegnato in primis anche ai nostri politici che, in più di un occasione, si sono lasciati scappare frasi infelici o concetti retrogradi, ignoranti e lesivi della dignità degli omosessuali. Mi viene in mente il nome di un politico della Lega a cui spesso viene data parole nei talk show della televisione italiana. Ecco toglietegliela subito. Perché va bene la libertà di pensiero, ma c’è un confine che non andrebbe mai superato, soprattutto da parte di chi ci governa.

 

“Avevo visto la foto della scritta sui miei manifesti e il mio istinto era di lasciar stare… che l’odio di alcune persone, una cosa che conosco bene, era meglio ignorata. Ma voi avete ragione #rompiamoilsilenzio non ho paura di chi mi discrimina. Nessuno deve averne. L’amore fa quel che vuole“.

 

Queste sono state le parole di Mika in risposta a quella scritta sul suo manifesto ed ora se ne sta parlando tanto e questo è un bene.

Ma è anche vero che questo eco mediatico arriva dal fatto che un personaggio noto ha deciso di non stare zitto e rispondere per le rime agli insulti. Quello che non deve assolutamente accadere e che questa indignazione duri qualche giorno o settimana al massimo per poi svanire nel nulla.

 

La notizia di un ragazzo picchiato da sei coetanei (4 uomini e 2 donne) con pugni, calci e catene a Genova è di pochi giorni fa. Lo hanno aggredito solo perché una delle ragazze era convinta che stesse guardando il suo fidanzato e gli ha urlato contro “brutto gay, non guardare il mio ragazzo“, lui ha cercato di far capire che era solo soprappensiero, ma non c’è stato verso; sceso dal pullman è stato massacrato in una maniera talmente brutale da causargli un ematoma cerebrale che lo ha mandato in coma, salvato in extremis da un intervento di neurochirurgia.

Stiamo parlando di qualcosa accaduto una manciata di giorni fa, eppure quel giorno non c’è stato nessun trend topic su Twitter, qualche tweet qua e là ma perlopiù silenzio…

 

Ecco a cosa deve servire l’hashtag #rompiamoilsilenzio, a non rassegnarsi, a smetterla di creare divisioni, e a non farsi sentire solo quando ad “alzare la voce” è qualcuno di famoso.

Per Mika in queste ore si sta alzando un coro di tweet e messaggi di solidarietà da parte dei suoi colleghi: Simona Ventura, Eros Ramazzotti, Elisa, Paola Turci, Lorenzo Fragola, Fedez sono solo alcuni dei nomi che si sono espressi al riguardo con parole di solidarietà bellissime perché Mika, prima che un cantante e un’artista, è un uomo, un essere umano. Molti di questi nomi non è la prima volta che si fanno sentire in difesa delle persone discriminate per il loro orientamento sessuale.

 

Ecco ora però trascorso qualche giorno non tornate in silenzio perché la gente ha bisogno di voi per farsi sentire… voi potete fare di più, non so dirvi cosa, se una petizione, una raccolta firme o una manifestazione, ma avete il “potere” di farvi ascoltare, di chiedere un cambiamento perché sappiamo tutti che, se parte da un personaggio noto che a sua volta coinvolge altri personaggi conosciuti, un messaggio ha un altro eco mediatico rispetto alla gente.

Forse voi avete veramente la possibilità di rompere il silenzio definitivamente con l’aiuto delle persone che vi seguono. Perché la brutta verità di questo paese è che troppo spesso “le persone comuni” non vengono ascoltate da chi le governa.

 

#rompiamoilsilenzio

 

 N.B. Ovviamente l’immagine di questo articolo è una provocazione sul fatto che ci sono tanti modi per esprimere che qualcuno non ci piace… fisicamente, caratterialmente… la parola Frocio in una società civile non dovrebbe rientrare tra queste però.

 

I translated by Google translate :

The network is awakening today to the "sound" of the hashtag #rompiamoilsilenzio launched by Mika and eco media is such that this phrase goes right trending topic in Twitter.

Because we want to convince that ours is a country that has other priorities, which does not need laws against discrimination-based violence (that is discrimination on skin color, religion or sexual orientation does not matter) ...

Because they want to convince us that the Italian people do not care if two people of the same sex who love each other have no right ... if you are insulted and ridiculed for the way ... if you are beaten in blood ...

Meanwhile young boys take their own lives, are insulted and beaten for their sexual orientation (real or perceived), while older people are living a secret life unable to escape the prejudice, fear and shame that our society has implanted in like a microchip.

 

So Break the silence is necessary because we live in a country where if you see a poster of a singer, in this case Mika, no designs mustache, did not make the horns on his head ... no, I write over Froch.

 

But if someone who missed what happened in this Sunday of August come to the facts ...

 

Mika will perform at Nelson Mandela Forum on September 30 and, of course, the streets of the city were hung the posters that advertise the event.

It happens that someone with plenty of free time, to the point of being unaware that it would be better if it employs that precious time trying to get a first examination of conscience, and to study a bit 'of history perhaps starting from the words Hitler and Genocide, deface the poster with a huge inscription: "Froch."

 

Newspapers and websites before this word have added many different adjectives ... shameful, squalid, idiot ... I will not do it for one simple reason. Here I shall not pretend that that word to use as few moron who has "decorated" the manifesto.

Here I shall not pretend that the offense most used among young people nowadays is not Froch s**t ... no boys sorry to tell you but one might say "Froch s**t is the new SON OF A BITCH." Do not believe us?

Take a tour of any place frequented by teenagers (and others) ... a chapel, a cinema, a shopping center, an amusement park ... go well also in the streets of downtown Milan, take a look around the youth group and listen ... you understand that, unfortunately, the word is used as the worst insult to ask your kid male on duty. It does not exist for most of their worst insult.

Seeing is believing…. I last week I was returning by train from Arezzo, in my car there was a whole school of teenagers returning from a trip with the sisters ... two-hour trip with five teenage runaway who, between a punch and a push, when needed really they get hurt they put out the magic word "You're a ####ing fagot fagot s**t ...".

 

Sometimes this word bandied about the feel, other times it will be a mere whisper, accompanied by some silly giggle.

Still I remember where I was when Tiziano Ferro outing made through the pages of Vanity Fair. A very brave gesture.

It was a Wednesday in November when the interview came out if I remember correctly, and, of course, newsagents was papered with the cover of the magazine with the title well in evidence "TIZIANO FERRO: I want to fall in love with a man."

I remember that morning I went into a tobacco and when I left there were four or five girls teens (or less) at the exit from the store. As of Wives of country ciacolavano: "But did you hear? Iron is a fag. mamma mia what a disappointment "and another the echoed:" really, but I wonder why ... ".

The rest of the conversation I'll save because it would really be sending them into exile on the island of Elba.

Fortunately, the young are not all that (and this must be stressed!) ... Luckily sometimes the music can get beyond the ignorance of the people and can say that it was nice to see a few weeks ago the San Siro stadium in Milan full of people singing songs by Titian; People of all ages, of all geographical and social ... even people that maybe if they see a homosexual still think that servant get cornered ... but they were there to sing ... and this is a small sign that we can still hope.

 

Hope you, but without forgetting that regard sexism our country still has a lot of problems.

Shortage of laws, those that protect from violence and discrimination, and those that grant rights to the point that we were also recently rebuked by the European Union.

Laws would be a great first step in a country like ours where this blessed family of "White Mill" (if the family of White windmill represents the traditional one, but it is a manner of speaking) do not know what to be afraid, perhaps that homosexuals interrupt the production Tegolini?

But unfortunately, the biggest problem of our country is cultural.

Our schools are not equipped to teach right from the elementary respect for diversity, such as they are, and this is a process that should start immediately.

It must be said that along with the schools would be the case that this culture and this respect is taught in the first place also to our politicians who, on more than one occasion, you are left to escape unhappy phrases or concepts backward, ignorant and offensive to the dignity of homosexuals. I am reminded of the name of a politician of the League which is often given in the words of Italian television talk show. Take it away from here immediately. Because it fits the freedom of thought, but there is a boundary that should never be exceeded, especially by those who govern us.

 

"I had seen the photos of written on my posters and my instinct was to let go ... the hatred of some people, one thing that I know well, was best ignored. But you are right #rompiamoilsilenzio'm not afraid of who I discriminate. No one should have any. Love does what he wants. "

 

These were the words of Mika in response to one written on his poster, and now he is talking so much and this is good.

But it is also true that this media echo comes from the fact that a celebrity has decided to shut up and not respond in kind to the insults. What must not happen and that this indignation tough few days or a week at most and then vanish into thin air.

 

The news of a boy beaten by six peers (4 men and 2 women) with punches, kicks and chains in Genoa is a few days ago. They attacked only because one of the girls was convinced that he was looking at her boyfriend and she screamed "bad gay, do not look at my boy," he tried to explain that it was just lost in thought, but there was no way ; He fell off the bus was killed in a brutal manner so as to cause a cerebral hematoma that sent him into a coma, saved in extremis by a neurosurgery.

We are talking about something that happened a few days ago, but that day there was no trending topic on Twitter, tweet a few here and there but mostly silence ...

 

That's what has to serve the hashtag #rompiamoilsilenzio, not to give in, to stop creating divisions, and not to be heard only when to "raise their voices" is someone famous.

Mika at this time you are raising a chorus of tweets and messages of support from his colleagues: Simona Ventura, Eros Ramazzotti, Elisa, Paola Turci, Lorenzo Fragola, Fedez are just some of the names who have spoken about it with words Solidarity beautiful because Mika before a singer and an artist, he is a man, a human being. Many of these names is not the first time that are felt in defense of people discriminated against because of their sexual orientation.

 

Now, however, I spent a few days do not come back in silence because people need to be heard of you ... you can do more, I do not know what to tell you, if a petition, a petition or a demonstration, but you have the "power" They listen, to ask for a change because we all know that, if part of a celebrity, which in turn involves other characters known, a message has echoed another media than the people.

Perhaps you really can finally break the silence with the help of the people who follow you. Because the ugly truth of this country is that too often, "ordinary people" are not heard by those who govern.

 

#rompiamoilsilenzio

 

 N.B. Of course the image of this article is a provocation on the fact that there are so many ways to express that someone we do not like ... physically, temperamentally ... the word fagot in a civilized society should not be among those, however.

 

 

 

Thanks for doing the entire translation. I wanted to do it, but you have translated it before I did   

 

Just a thing, a little correction: "Frocio", in Italian = "Fag"

Edited August 12, 2015 by charlie20

[charlie20]

This is an interesting interview to the man who photographed the homophobic insult on the poster of Mika and posted it on Facebook and Instagram. He isn't his fan, but he felt a sort of moral obligation, not for himself, nor the British artist, but towards the human dignity and the respect that this requires.

 

http://www.lanazione.it/pistoia/mika-omofobia-foto-1.1210236

 

Fotografa la scritta omofoba contro Mika: "Sono contento di non aver taciuto"

Lo scatto di Mauro Mariotti, pistoiese, ha fatto il giro del mondo

Pistoia, 10 agosto 2015 - Non è un suo fan e non aveva programmato di andare a sentire il suo concerto a Firenze, il prossimo 30 settembre. Ma quando ha visto il manifesto del tour di Mika imbrattato dalla scritta «Fr..o» che copriva a caratteri cubitali il primo piano del cantante pop, ha pensato che fotografarla e condividerla subito, su Instagram e Facebook fosse un atto dovuto. Una sorta di obbligo morale, non nei confronti di se stesso né dell’artista inglese, ma nei confronti della dignità umana e del rispetto che questa esige.

È pistoiese l’autore della foto che da ieri impazza sui social network, soprattutto dopo assere stata condivisa e commentata dallo stesso Mika. Mauro Mariotti, 35 anni, non si aspettava tanto successo, ma è contento che per una volta i social siano serviti a «rompere il silenzio», come ha detto lo stesso Mika, lanciando l’hashtag che ha fatto il giro del mondo.

 

 

Come mai hai sentito il bisogno di condividere la foto?

«Il manifesto era in via Gordigiani, vicino a viale Redi, a Firenze. Io passavo di lì per caso – racconta Mauro, che lavora come commesso proprio a Firenze – Quella scritta mi ha indignato, perché non ce l’aveva con Mika in quanto lui, ma solo perché è gay. È una cosa inaccettabile oggi, nel 2015 che ci sia ancora una tale resistenza e mancanza di cultura. Io sono gay e non ritengo di dovermi nascondere né sono solito farlo».

 

Come è arrivato il tuo post fino a Mika?

«La foto postata su Instagram è stata segnalata da diversi blog gay – spiega Mauro – e così è arrivata fino a Mika, che ha ritenuto di condividerla sul suo profilo anche Facebook e di commentarla, lanciando l’hashtag ‘#rompiamoilsilenzio’».

 

Ti sei mai sentito discriminato per il tuo orientamento sessuale?

«Fortunatamente no. Solo una volta un ragazzo in centro a Pistoia mi ha urlato contro ‘fro..’, ma poi mi ha chiesto scusa: era ubriaco. Ma offeso mi sento praticamente ogni giorno. Basta ascoltare gli sproloqui dei politici, che ci prendono in giro da anni senza arrivare ad approvare la legge sulle unioni civili o quella sul reato di omofobia. A Genova due uomini sono stati pestati solo per il fatto di essere sospettati omosessuali, e questo non costituisce un’aggravante per i loro aggressori. Ma soprattutto, basta aprire un qualsiasi social per sentirsi offesi. Gli insulti sono continui e violenti».

 

Che cosa credi si debba fare per contrastare questa violenza?

«Innanzitutto non tacere, non fare finta di niente e non lasciar passare. Quando ho visto quella scritta sul manifesto, avrei potuto voltare le spalle. In fondo non era niente di nuovo. Ma la catena di condivisioni e commenti che ha scatenato, sia pure involontariamente e al di là delle mie previsioni, mi ha convito che è stato meglio così. Mi dispiace aver visto quella scritta, ma sono contento di non aver taciuto».

Edited August 12, 2015 by charlie20

[crazyaboutmika]

In French

 

 

Mika: Si je n'avais pas répondu aux insultes, je l'aurais trahi celui que j'étais à 13 ans .

Lorsque j'ai vu la photo de mon visage sali sur l'affiche de Florence sur Instagram, je me suis senti triste, humilié. Mon premier instinct était: ne rien dire à personne , de ne pas réagir, de ne pas bouger. Je suis en tournée, je peux m'en détourner, faire mon spectacle et me sentir bien. Je peux ignorer les insultes .

Mais les fans ont commencé à en parler, mes amis ont commencé à m'envoyer des sms . Et j'ai compris que ma première réaction était la même que j'avais autrefois, c'était la réaction d'un très jeune garçon qui se sentait impuissant. Voilà comment j'étais à l'école: sans défenses. Aurais-je répondu à l'époque, ils m'auraient battu et je n' en aurais rien retiré , à part de rentrer à la maison avec un visage tuméfié. Je connais bien le harcèlement, ils s'en seraient pris à moi.

A cause du racisme, parce que ma mère était forte, ou parce que nous avions des problèmes financiers à cette période. Mais surtout, 80% du temps, à cause de ma sexualité. Même avant que je sois conscient de ma propre sexualité.

Lorsque vous êtes un enfant et que vous vous faites attaquer, vous pensez que vous ne pouvez pas vous battre contre eux , parce que si vous le faisiez, toutes ces choses deviendraient encore pires, et de la taille d'une montagne. Etant enfant, je répondais d'une manière qui était décalée , tel comme un écho qui s'étendait sur le long terme.. J'essayais de me concentrer sur autre chose que ce que je subissais , je me focalisais sur l'avenir.

Quand j'ai dû faire face à cette affiche, je me suis senti comme le jeune garçon que j'avais été autrefois . Et ma réponse instinctive était de lécher mes blessures, de fermer les yeux et de me projeter dans l'avenir, un réflexe automatique, qui est partagée par la plupart des gens qui sont victimes de harcélement: détourner le regard, tout garder pour soi-même.

Puis, j'ai compris. Ce fût l'une des rares fois dans ma vie où je me voyais forcé de choisir une confrontation directe avec l'intimidation et l'homophobie, je me suis rendu compte combien les choses avaient changé, combien j'avais changé. Grâce aux réactions des gens sur des réseaux sociaux, par rapport à mes amis, et je dois dire aussi par rapport à mes collègues. Certains d'entre eux sont gay et ont été blessés parce nous sommes ensembles quotidiennement pour travailler : ils se sentaient comme s'ils avaient été insultés eux aussi.

Je me suis rendu compte que, oui, en premier il y avait mon réflexe de repli automatique à cause de ce que j'ai enduré et à cause de mon vieil instinct de défense, mais voilà maintenant je suis dans une position privilégiée: Je suis en tournée, je suis libre et entouré par des gens libres, Je l'ai construit mon propre monde où je peux faire ce en quoi que je crois et inciter à la tolérance à travers ma musique et mes concerts. C' est un grand luxe.

En refusant de réagir face à ces insultes, j'aurais fait une erreur: j'aurais oublié le jeune garçon de 13 ans que j'avais été, et j'aurais porté tort à toutes les personnes qui n'ont pas ce luxe et ce privilège. A présent je peux monter sur scène. Mais , quand vous êtes jeune et ce mot s'adresse à vous, si vous regardez cette affiche et que vous n'avez aucune réponse dans laquelle vous réfugier, alors ça veut dire qu'on vous a abandonné. Vous perdez l'espoir et cela vous rend encore plus faible: je ne pouvais pas permettre ça, précisement grâce aux choses qui avaient changé dans ma vie: je n'aurais pas pu m'abandonner ni abandonner tant d'autres comme moi à la solitude. ça n'a aucune importance que vous ayez 14 ou 64 ans, face à une telle chose, vous réagissez de la même façon, car cela vous affecte avec la même intensité.

C'est la raison pour laquelle j'ai décidé d'utiliser cette image comme une photo de profil sur Twitter et Instagram. C'était exactement ce qui m'aurait effrayé à l'âge de 13 ans. Je n'étais pas si courageux à l'époque, je ne pouvais pas l' être. J'ai fait l'inverse de ce que j'aurais fait à l'école.

On m'a appelé comme ça toute ma vie: je faisais avec ces insultes, j'en faisais des musiques , je les mettais dans mes dessins. Samedi dernier pour la première fois je me suis dit: pourquoi ne pas les mettre à la vue de tous et les utiliser comme un drapeau flottant au-dessus des têtes de tous ces gens qui écrivent et pensent comme ça? Telle était la grandeur d'Oscar Wilde: il dénonçait l'hypocrisie en la rejettant au visage des hypocrites, parfois il n'y a rien de plus approprié que des actions inappropriées! Et c'est pour ça que Oscar Wilde est l'un de mes "Good Guys".

J'aurais pu écrire cinq mille mots, j'aurais pu leur dire d'aller au diable, j'aurais pu dire que je ne reviendrais jamais à Florence (Mais non, pas moi, j'adore Florence!) ; j'aurai pu utiliser cette article comme un défouloir, en comparant l'homophobie au sexisme et au machisme. Mais avec cette "déclaration visuelle", avec ce signe qui est devenu un drapeau, je l'ai fait sans être violent, ni agressif, sans me perdre dans des sermons. C'était beau de voir comme cette image a développé autant de puissance. Pour ma maman aussi. Elle n'a pas dit grand-chose, mais elle a trouvé elle aussi un écho dans cet épisode, car elle a traversé une période difficile à l'adolescence. Elle n'a jamais eu de compensation pour ce qu'elle a dû affronter alors: c'est comme une sorte de compensation pour elle et qui lui est venue par l'intermédiaire de l'un de ses enfants. Elle m'a regardé, elle a fermé les yeux et elle a souri comme quelqu'un qui a enfin trouvé le repos.

La chose la plus compliquée aujourd'hui, est de comprendre comment nous pouvons aller au-delà de cette image, justement en raison de sa puissance. Un tas de gens ont voulu s'inpirer de mon action: ils ont pris cette image, ajouté leur photo, et le slogan «Brisons le silence». Facebook a bloqué leurs profils pendant 30 heures,ceci tend à montrer que ce mot est encore sensible et dur.

Par conséquent: si elle vous a offensé, est-il juste de transformer une insulte-qui reste une insulte-en drapeau? Oui ça l'est, quand cela provoque une discussion constructive, quand cela aide les gens à réfléchir à ce qu'un adjectif stupide et superficiel peut faire ressentir à d'autres personnes. Cependant, ce mot fait toujours mal. Il reste toujours réellement un terme très fort, qui a de nombreuses implications négatives, et il peut réellement blesser. Nous nous pouvons pas l'accepter en tant que mot "normal". Mais arrêtons de prétendre qu'il n'existe pas: cela serait encore beaucoup plus dangereux.

Edited August 13, 2015 by crazyaboutmika