Arcigay Orlando is Brescia's LGBTQ+ association and has worked in the city since 1994. Its premises are on Via Valerio Paitone, in the Carmine district, which is also where most of Brescia's nightlife has ended up.
Half of what it does is support. There is counselling and a welcome desk, available at the premises, by phone and online, and a separate group for parents of LGBTI+ people, on the reasoning that it is easier to be understood by someone who has been through the same thing. La Fenice is its gender affirmation desk. Volunteers also go into secondary schools with workshops on sexual orientation, stereotypes, discrimination and homophobic bullying.
The other half is cultural. It runs film screenings and book presentations, keeps an archive and a library, and put Brescia's rainbow bench in place. It is one of the organisations behind Brescia Pride.
The association has announced a move to Contrada del Carmine, a few streets away and still in the same district, so it is worth confirming the address before travelling.
The people in this picture are AI-generated.
