29° Annual General Meeting EPOA

Turin, october 6-9th, 2022

Turin will host the next annual conference of the European Pride Organizers Association (EPOA). Turin was officially chosen on 4 October 2020 and the candidacy was desired, coordinated and managed by Coordinamento Torino Pride, in agreement with Regione Piemont, the City of Turin and with the Pride organizations of Rome, Milan, Perugia, Varese, Padua, Cagliari and Pavia. Turin was competing with Lisbon and was chosen with 64% of the votes.

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European Pride Organisers

The EPOA annual conference is the European network that involves the main European Pride organizzations. EPOA was founded in 1994 in London on the initiative of the Amsterdam, Berlin and London Pride organizers and, since that year, has grown steadily to attract memberships from over 100 organizations active in more than 40 EU countries. Since 1994, the EPOA annual conference has been organized in some of the most important European cities and capitals but has never taken place in Italy.

EPOA WEBSITE

Annual General Meeting

AGM is configured as a fundamental moment for sharing experiences and skills between European organizations, as well as a training opportunity that includes seminars and meetings aimed at promoting good practices of inclusion and non-discrimination for LGBTQ+ people, both as moments of celebration and as vital events for the recognition of human rights.

Annual General Meetings

Event program

Four days full of conferences, plenaries, workshops and speeches that will involve people from all countries.

Event timetable

Location

Two exceptional location in Turin will welcome the 29° Epoa AGM: NH Hotel Lingotto (via Nizza, 262), Double Tree Hilton Hotel Lingotto (Via Giacomo Mattè Trucco 1) and AC Hotel Torino (via Bisalta, 11).

Guide: how to reach them

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Booking

Secure your participation in Epoa’s annual event. Click the button and book in a few simple steps.

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Notice

Dear friends,
unfortunately the month of August saw us busy solving a very unpleasant situation. The Golden Palace hotel – the one we had selected for the October AGM – has gone bankrupt and will be closed for several months. Unfortunately, at the moment, the money we had advanced is lost. We therefore had to act immediately in an attempt to find a new location. With a lot of effort we have closed a deal with two hotels, very close to each other. NH Hotel Lingotto and Double Tree Hilton Hotel Lingotto. They are of the same level as the Golden Palace and will welcome you in the best way. We are working hard to make the next Epoa AGM live up to expectations but you will finally understand why we have been in a lot of difficulties in this period.

LGBTQ+ RIGHTS IN ITALY

In the rainbow map of ILGA and FRA, out of 49 countries examined, Italy is at 35th place. In 2020, in 49% of the states surveyed, ILGA records that there are no positive changes.

Meanwhile, the COVID-19 emergency has hit the most vulnerable sections of the population and has been used by some governments as an alibi to accelerate their plans against human rights.

76% of European citizens agree that LGBTQ+ people should have the same rights as heterosexuals, although the average varies widely between different states. In Italy, only 68% of the Italians interviewed said they were in favour of this, remaining well below the European average.

HOMO-BI-TRANSPHOBIA

One of Italy’s main problems is the total absence of a law against homo-bi-transphobia. A law has been proposed this year, but the outcome of the parliamentary debate is uncertain.

HATE SPEECH

In 2013, a survey showed that Italy was the second country in Europe where the language of politicians was considered highly discriminatory, second only to Lithuania. Public and political attention has focused on Poland this year, but anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric from political and religious leaders has been present in 18 countries in Europe and Central Asia.

RAINBOW FAMILIES

The current political context, with the growth of populisms, has led to a backlash against the rights of the rainbow family in some countries, especially Italy. At the moment, in Italy, civil unions are the only recognized right on an 11-item list drawn up by ILGA-Europe

TRANS RIGHTS

Italy also lags behind for the rights of transgender people: unlike what happens in most Western European countries, in our country there are still restrictions on the age and on the choice of legal name. The trans community is highly subject to discrimination. In recent years trans people are experiencing a continuous emergency linked to the fact that it’s hard for them to find the medicines for the transition. Furthermore, in Italy the change of name for those who intend to start the transition process depends on the intervention of the judicial authority.

INTERSEX

In February 2020, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on the rights of intersex people, recognizing the continuing human rights violations they face today in Europe. In many parts of the world – including Italy – the practice of correcting the genitals of intersex children is still in use. Doctors decide which gender should be the most appropriate to the child and use surgery to aesthetically define them. This practice can be compared to real genital mutilation. The UN Commission for the Rights of the Child has recommended Italy to implement a human rights-based health protocol for intersex children that avoids this bodily abuse.

INTERSECTIONALITY

Discrimination becomes even harder if we added the issue of intersectionality. Members of the LGBTQ+ community who live with disabilities, are elderly, homeless or with HIV or who are part of ethnic minorities can be victims of further discrimination.

MEDITERRANEAN LGBTQI+ CONFERENCE

October 6th, 2022

Although all 54 African states have signed the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as well as the African Charter on Human Rights, these international treaties have generally not been translated into practical rights protection actions human for LBGTQ+ people.

In particular, among countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, homosexuality is considered illegal in several countries.

In Egypt homosexuality is not criminalized by law but de facto, while in other countries it is punished with prison. In Mauritania, Sudan and northern Nigeria those belonging to the LGBTQ+ community risk the death penalty.

In Eritrea and South Sudan LGBTQ+ people can face sentences of 7 to 10 years. Both Libya and Cameroon (where there are also economic sanctions) provide for detention of up to 5 years. In Morocco and in Tunisia detention is up to 3 years, while in Algeria and Chad the crime is punished with 2 years in prison.

For some years now, Italian and European LGBTQ+ communities have been wondering how to welcome LGBTQ+ migrants from different parts of Africa. Today, associations – like ours – for the protection of human rights have to deal with different laws in each country. Therefore it is more and more urgent to open a discussion and find together a common and consistent approach to the aim. This is the purpose of the Conference.

We will invite African activists who experience these issues firsthand and listening to their testimonies and opinions will be of great help for the Conference.

Conference program

How to get there

Torino International Airport. 16 km far from the city centre and linked by a bus service and a railway connection running every half hour and taking 19 minutes.

Malpensa 2000 International Airport. The biggest hub in South Europe, with about 100 world destinations, at about 100 km from Torino and soon connected by a new railway line in less than an hour).

By train. Torino is very well linked both to the Italian railway system and to that of neighbouring countries. High-speed trains are used nationally and internationally, Frecciarossa and Italo for Italy and TGV for France, and allow to reach Lyon in 2h 30’ hours and Paris in about 5 hours.

CITY TRANSPORT

All members of EPOA AGM will be provided with a free 3-day City Card which grants access to the whole city transport system. The subway line links the outskirts of Torino to the city centre. The interchange with 44 over ground lines optimizes the use of the city’s entire public transport system.

Torino is a smart, green city and it offers bike sharing services: [TO]BIKE, accessible 24/7 with more than 140 stations, and MOBIKE, a free floating version.

TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

Partner e sponsor

Like for Pride and other activities, AGM 2022 also has its guiding principle in the concept of visibility and is an event with a very strong media echo. Our thanks go to the various public and private partners who support and promote the initiative.