Arcigay Messina Makwan is the LGBTQI+ association for Messina and its province. It is a non-profit, registered as an association for social promotion, and it traces its work in the city back to 1987.
The association keeps an advice desk at its rooms on Via Placida. Psychologists and lawyers work there, and it handles discrimination, legal recognition, and the practical and emotional side of gender transition. Advice is given by telephone as well, which matters for people who cannot walk in, and family conflict makes up a large part of what comes through the door.
A youth group works alongside it. It runs workshops in Messina schools and open evenings for younger people, and the association has pushed the city to recognise alias careers so that trans pupils can use their own name on school records.
It also organises Stretto Pride, the march that crosses Messina and is the city's main LGBTQ+ event of the year. Membership is open to anyone and runs for a year from the day it is issued. The card is the national Arcigay one, so it also opens the door at Arci clubs elsewhere in Italy.
The people in this picture are AI-generated.
