Alessandra Mussolini has become living proof that literally anyone can change. The granddaughter of Italian fascist Benito Mussolini has had harsh anti-human rights stances, including exiling gay and trans Italians to a designated island off the coast of Italy. Alessandra Mussolini had previously followed in her grandfather’s footsteps, denouncing gay adoption and stating it was “better to be a fascist than a f****t”. However, she has recently changed her stance on LGBTQ+ rights.
She was elected to the European Parliament this past September, and shortly after spoke out when she was asked to tick “male” or “female” when filling out paperwork to become a member. She left the section blank.
“I was shocked. It’s discriminatory — they had my picture and fingerprints, isn’t that enough?” she told The Times. “Why is gender important? And where is the ‘prefer not to mention’ that young people use when signing contracts? I told them they are stuck in the Middle Ages,” she continued.
It is reported that she refused to apply for the card for this reason.
Mussolini also fought against homophobia in her home country. She has backed the Zan bill, which aimed to punish acts of discrimination and/or violence against LGBTQ+ and disabled people. It also was written to make misogyny a hate crime.
“I am happy whenever anyone like Mussolini changes their views based on their experience and personal reflection,” said Alessandro Zan, author of the bill.
Unfortunately, despite support, the bill did not pass in the Italian parliament.
In an interview discussing her radical change of heart, Mussolini stated, “the most important thing is that you can give love.” She added, “people can change, you can learn from the young.”
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