“Cateno De Luca is not a chauvinistic and patriarchal or misogynistic and crude Mayor, because he is not first of all as a man even before being a public figure”. They are the same women as today, with one or little more than a few new entries or resignations, and representatives of the mayor’s administration Federico Basile to reaffirm and make its own the words expressed in a press note dated February 21, 2021.
“We have been silent in these hours, in the face of an action of exploitation of purely political expressions with the intention of comparing them to those who suffer verbal violence and gender discrimination on a daily basis, not giving value to the women who are actually victims of it ”.
This is what the Councilors say Alessandra Calafiore and Liana Cannata; the Presidents of the municipal subsidiaries Messinaservizi Bene Comune, AMAM and Messina Social City, respectively Mariagrazia Interdonato, Loredana Bonasera And Valeria Asquini with the members of the Board of Directors, Giusi Calanni for Messina Heritage; Francesca Martello for Arisme; Daniela Bruno of the MSC; Alessandra Franza for AMAM; And Carla Grillo of ATM.
“We break the silence to defend our political leader from an unjust and specious accusation that has no basis in reality. If he had been misogynistic – the female quota reiterates in unison once again – De Luca would never have started his administrative government action with one of the pinkest councils in Italy, entrusting women with delegations of even a certain weight; and if he had been patriarchal he would not have entrusted two women with the presidency of Messina Social City and AMAM respectively, now three, with the president of Messinaservizi Bene Comune as well as a woman also as General Secretary of the Municipality.
No one can deny the evidence of it, as As a public administrator, De Luca not only gave full evidence and substance to the concept of gender equality but also removed those structural obstacles that prevent us women from equal access.
Therefore, De Luca’s work is aimed at enhancing the women and men of his team without ever making any gender distinctions. In fact, we are women who sit at decision-making tables every day in the same way as our male colleagues. No one has ever allowed themselves to exclude or silence us regarding the decisions to be made. De Luca, today, despite his role as leader, has always taken our opinions into account, leaving us free to express our thoughts, as it should be; and our roles are a direct expression of this.
For the rest, everyone is certainly free and responsible for their own political choiceswe defend our activism and we are certainly not afraid of those who, knowing our qualities and professionalism, try to muzzle us in the vision of political opponents.
We too have a voice and we wanted to use it to defend our political leader and the credibility of the actions we are implementing as gender policy. Let’s not forget that it is up to us women who have the most difficult, but most constructive task of inventing and managing social life from all points of view.
Lastly, we would like to say enough with this cultural legacy which is the first obstacle to the gender equality which we have aspired to for decades.”
