The advertising campaign of the Al Volo bar in Modica, in the Ragusa area, is discussed. The owner exhibited a sign with the prices of coffee distinguishing between female and male customers and members of the LGBTQ + community. So from 13 to 31 October a cup of coffee will cost women 70 cents, a man 80 cents, and homosexuals, lesbians, transsexuals, queer, intersex and asexuals 75 cents. TheArcigay Ragusa which, through its vice president, Emanuele Micilotta, calls the campaign “discriminatory superpromo” and calls for the removal of the cartel. “While we activists are fighting to ensure that in the next elections the ‘men’ and ‘women’ ranks are permanently removed from the seats to protect the intersex and transsexual community, are there still those around who visibly discriminate against the LGBTQ + community?”, Micilotta asks himself. Interviewed by the Video Mediterraneo broadcaster, the owner of the restaurant throws water on the fire, which he calls the initiative “joking”
To the controversy
Immediate controversy over the initiative of a bar in the historic center of the free municipal consortium of Ragusa in Sicily, but the owner softens the tone: “I’m not homophobic“. The Arcigay association thunders: “This is discrimination that is not necessary”.
The fact
Do you want to know what kind of customer is? Just stay at the cash desk and see the receipt. In Modica the discount is equivalent to a coming out. The owner has in fact decided to deduct 5 cents from those who belong to the LGBTQ + community. Otherwise you have to pay the full price of 80 cents imposed on men or, again, you will benefit from the super-promo of 70 cents if you belong to the female gender. The unique advertising campaign of the “Al Volo“ bar, a local in the historic center of the Ragusa town, aroused the ire of the local Arcigay who in a post on Facebook published the menu complete with discounts based on sexual orientation.
The reactions
“This act still creates a division into categories and we certainly do not need this”, denounces the president of the Arcigay Ragusa association Andrea Ragusa. “I did it in good faith, I have nothing against anyone. It’s a joking thing I’m not homophobic, ”the words of the owner of the bar, Salvatore Puglisthe. “A French tourist asked me if it was a joke and I told her no. She asked me how much she would have to pay and I replied that, having told me she was a woman, the coffee would cost her 70 cents, ”she says.
“Super promo for Lgbtqia +, coffee for only € 0.75? discriminators… ”, thunders on Facebook Emanuele Micilotta, vice president of Arcigay Ragusa. “How does it work? – Mocks him in a post – Simple. Go to the counter and have a nice coffee, then go to the cashier to pay the bill and say that you are gay, transsexual, bisexual, queer etc and the discount is immediately applied. The price list is being updated. Soon discounts for Jews, Aryan race, black, beautiful and ugly, fat and thin and other ‘categories’. All this in 2022 is simply chilling and unacceptable “. “While we are fighting to ensure that the ‘men’ and ‘women’ ranks will be permanently removed from the seats at the next elections” to protect the intersex and transsexual community, are there still those around who visibly discriminate against the LGBTQIA + community? ” The request to digest this bitter coffe? Not a teaspoon of sugar, but “the immediate removal of the sign”.