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Monica J. Romano is an Italian activist, writer and politician. She was the first transgender municipal councilor in Milan. [1] [2]
Romano was born in 1979 in Milan, Italy. She came from a working-class family. Her mother is from La Spezia and her father is from Sicily. In 1997, she graduated from high school (classical lyceum). In 1998, she came out as a trans woman, choosing the name Monica. [3]
In the same year she began her activism in associations and Italian LGBT movements, fascinated by her mentor Deborah Lambillotte. Her best-known activism is for transgender people's right to work.
Her activism has been going on for more than twenty years. [4]
In 2006 the Italian State, by judgment of the court, recognised the name Monica as her legal name. The "J" in her middle name is the first letter of her birth name. She has kept this "to highlight a political positioning of rejection of binary logic, passing logic and normalizazion that have always oppressed transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming people and communities". [3]
In 2007, she graduated in Political Science. [3]
In 2008, she wrote her first book "Transsexuality as Object of Discrimination", essay about discrimination of transgender people in contemporary society. [5] [6]
In 2015 she wrote "Stories of XY girls", a bildungsroman based on the story of her life [7] and in 2017 she wrote "Gender (R) Evolution", memoir about her activism. Both books were published by Ugo Mursia. [8]
In 2021, she ran for municipal elections in Milan for the Democratic Party, taking 938 votes. She won the election and became the first transgender woman municipal councilor in the history of Milan. [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]
In 2023 she published the book Indietro non si torna. Il lungo cammino dei diritti civili delle persone LGBT+ in Italia. Una storia personale, una battaglia politica [a] with a preface by Alessandro Zan, published by TEA . [14] [15]
Transphobia consists of negative attitudes, feelings, or actions towards transgender people or transness in general. Transphobia can include fear, aversion, hatred, violence or anger towards people who do not conform to social gender roles. Transphobia is a type of prejudice and discrimination, similar to racism, sexism, or ableism, and it is closely associated with homophobia. People of color who are transgender experience discrimination above and beyond that which can be explained as a simple combination of transphobia and racism.
Italy has recognised civil unions since 5 June 2016, providing same-sex couples with most of the legal protections, benefits and rights of marriage. A bill to this effect was approved by the Senate on 25 February 2016 and by the Chamber of Deputies on 11 May. It was signed into law by President Sergio Mattarella on 20 May, published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale the next day and took effect on 5 June 2016. The law does not grant same-sex couples joint adoption rights or access to in vitro fertilisation. Before this, several regions had supported a national law on civil unions and some municipalities passed laws providing for civil unions, though the rights conferred by these unions varied from place to place.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) rights in Italy significantly advanced in the 21st century, although LGBTQ people still face various challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents, despite public opinion being increasingly liberal and in favor of LGBT rights. According to ILGA-Europe's 2021 report, the status of LGBT rights in Italy is below the standards of other Western European countries – such as still not recognizing same-sex marriage, lacking nationwide discrimination protections for goods and services, as well as not granting to same-sex couples full parental rights, such as joint adoption and IVF. Italy and Japan are the only G7 nations where same-sex marriages are not recognized.
Christine Burns is a British political activist best known for her work with Press for Change and, more recently, as an internationally recognised health adviser. Burns was awarded an MBE in 2005 in recognition of her work representing transgender people. In 2011, she ranked 35th on The Independent on Sunday's annual Pink List of influential lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the United Kingdom.
A transsexual person is someone who experiences a gender identity that is inconsistent with their assigned sex, and desires to permanently transition to the sex or gender with which they identify, usually seeking medical assistance to help them align their body with their identified sex or gender.
Transmisogyny, otherwise known as trans-misogyny and transphobic misogyny, is the intersection of transphobia and misogyny as experienced by trans women and transfeminine people. The term was coined by Julia Serano in her 2007 book Whipping Girl to describe a particular form of oppression experienced by trans women. In a 2017 interview with The New York Times, Serano explores the roots of transmisogyny as a critique of feminine gender expressions which are "ridiculed in comparison to masculine interests and gender expression."
This article addresses the history of transgender people in the United States from prior to Western contact until the present. There are a few historical accounts of transgender people that have been present in the land now known as the United States at least since the early 1600s. Before Western contact, some Native American tribes had third gender people whose social roles varied from tribe to tribe. People dressing and living differently from the gender roles typical of their sex assigned at birth and contributing to various aspects of American history and culture have been documented from the 17th century to the present day. In the 20th and 21st centuries, advances in gender-affirming surgery as well as transgender activism have influenced transgender life and the popular perception of transgender people in the United States.
Diane Marie Rodríguez Zambrano is an Ecuadorian activist and politician who focuses on human rights and LGBT rights in Ecuador. She is the transgender chairwoman of the Silhouette X Association and a representative of the Observatory LGBTI of Ecuador. In 2009, she created a legal precedent in favor of the transgender population, to sue the Civil Registry to change her birth name to her present name. In 2017, she was elected as the first trans member of the National Assembly of Ecuador, and the second LGBT member after Sandra Alvarez Monsalve, who was elected as an alternate assembly member in 2009. She completed her mandate in 2021.
Alessia Mosca is the Secretary General of Italy-ASEAN association.
Monica F. Helms is an American transgender activist, author, and veteran of the United States Navy. She created the best-known transgender flag.
The Milano Pride is a parade held at the end of June each year in Milan, Italy, to celebrate the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, asexual, intersexual and queer (LGBTQ+) people and their allies. Until 2012, the event has been held each year but with a different name. Milano Pride is one of the largest gay and lesbian organized events in Italy. Its aim is to demonstrate for equal rights and equal treatment for LGBT people, as well as celebrate the pride in Gay and Lesbian Culture.
Yren Ailyn Rotela Ramirez is a Paraguayan activist for the rights of LGBT people and sex workers.
Demet Demir is a Turkish LGBT activist. She was awarded the Felipa de Souza Award in 1997 for her activism.
The following is a timeline of transgender history. Transgender history dates back to the first recorded instances of transgender individuals in ancient civilizations. However, the word transgenderism did not exist until 1965 when coined by psychiatrist John F. Oliven of Columbia University in his 1965 reference work Sexual Hygiene and Pathology; the timeline includes events and personalities that may be viewed as transgender in the broadest sense, including third gender and other gender-variant behavior, including ancient or modern precursors from the historical record.
Events during the year 2021 in Italy.
Municipal elections took place in Milan, Italy, on 3 and 4 October 2021 to elect the Mayor and the 48 members of the City Council, as well as the nine presidents and 270 councillors of the nine administrative zones (municipi) in which the municipality is divided, each one having one president and 30 councillors.
Orsola Nemi was an Italian writer and translator.
The Gay Party, whose full name is Partito Gay per i diritti LGBT+, Solidale Ambientalista e Liberale, is an Italian political group, being the first one specifically aimed at defending the rights of sexual diversity.
Porpora Marcasciano is an Italian activist, sociologist, and writer, known for her militantism for LGBT+ and transgender rights and internationally recognized books, including AntoloGaia. Sesso, genere e cultura degli anni '70, L'aurora delle trans cattive and the autobiographic Tra le rose e le viole. La storia e le storie di transessuali e travestiti. Through her activist efforts and books, she addresses several issues, including the right to identification, the right to education and employment, health rights for the LGBT+ community, and the social and law enforcement abuses faced by transgender individuals, as well as detention conditions in prisons. Elle reported she has been nominated for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize
Movimento Identità Trans (MIT) is an Italian advocacy organization that promotes the rights and welfare of transgender individuals. Founded in Bologna in 1979, MIT is the oldest transgender rights group in Italy and among the first in the world, and has been at the forefront of the trans rights movement in Italy and in Europe, offering legal, medical, and social support for the transgender community.