NELFA PRESS RELEASE
NELFA International Conference: “Tolerance is not enough. Equality and respect are the political goals”
The Network of European LGBTIQ* Families Associations, NELFA, is delighted by the outcome of its conference, entitled: “Rainbow Families in Europe. Same love, different status!”, held on 24 March 2017 in Naples. International activists, stakeholders and politicians promoted emphatically the need for full recognition, equal treatment and acceptance for LGBTIQ* parents and their children. NELFA Board members from all over Europe shared their personal experiences to a large and attentive audience. Amongst the speakers was also Giuseppina La Delfa from Famiglie Arcobaleno (Italy) who organised the conference.
Monica Cirinnà, Italian politician and senator of the Democratic Party, stated, “We have to destroy discrimination. Children who grow up in rainbow families are not treated equally. They are not recognised as others. This event is important to support our course. We are driving the same car! Please, go on! Discrimination has to be cancelled!”
NELFA Board Member Giuseppina La Delfa, a French citizen living in Italy, summed up, “Legal recognition really needs a long time, especially here in Italy. My family and I had to jump over many obstacles for more than a decade before we became successful. The culture of acceptance makes some steps forward. But there is still much work to do!”
Jonas Gunnarsson, PACE General Rapporteur on the rights of LGBT people, said, “Tolerance is not enough. Equality and respect – nothing more and nothing less – are the political goals. It’s time for rainbow families throughout Europe to be able to live free from discrimination.”
Read more and see pictures on Twitter and Facebook: #RainbowFamiliesConf
About NELFA: NELFA is the European platform of LGBTIQ* families associations, bringing together LGBTIQ* parents and parents-to-be from all over Europe. NELFA currently represents 32 organisations in 19 European countries with more than 26,500 members. NELFA is a member of ILGA-Europe and Transgender Europe.
Website: http://www.nelfa.org
Download our new leaflet: http://nelfa.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/NelfaLeafletUpdate2017-02.pdf
Get involved in the International Family Equality Day (IFED): www.internationalfamilyequalityday.org
Download our recent NELFA Newsletter: http://bit.ly/2ntlSY5
Further contacts:
Giuseppina La Delfa (Board member): +39 339 63733;
Björn Sieverding (Board member): +32 498 708075
