A Powerful Look Inside… Associazione Quore in Torino, Italy

Exclusive Interview by Karen Beishuizen
Photos courtesy of Associazione Quore

Associazione Quore is an Italian non-profit organization advocating for LGBTIQ+ rights; It was founded in 2007 by a small group of activists in Torino. Quore activities aim at improving the well-being of the LGBTIQ+ community and promoting an equal and inclusive society at local, national and European level. The TO HOUSING project is the biggest housing service targeting the LGBTIQ+ community in Italy: established by Quore in 2019, the service is providing up to 24 beds in 5 apartments in the city of Torino. The Friendly Piedmont Project is the warmest welcome that Torino and Piemonte dedicate to LGBTIQ+ tourists in order to offer the best hospitality culture. Founded by Associazione Quore with the support of Regione Piemonte, Friendly Piemonte intends to promote Torino and Piemonte as an LGBTIQ+ tourist destination.

KB: Describe to the RSR readers how QUORE was founded and by who?

Associazione Quore is an Italian non-profit organization advocating for LGBTIQ+ rights; It was founded in 2007 by a small group of activists. It has significantly grown over the years, gathering many volunteers and committed professionals.

While fighting against all forms of discriminations based on gender identity and sexual orientation, Quore activities aim at improving the well-being of the LGBTIQ+ community and promoting an equal and inclusive society at local, national and European level.

KB: What is the TO Housing Project?

The TO HOUSING project is the biggest housing service targeting the LGBTIQ+ community in Italy: established by Quore in 2019, the service is providing up to 24 beds in 5 apartments in the city of Torino.

TO HOUSING provides an answer to LGBTIQ+ homeless people’s needs: while addressing the primary need of a safe house, it aims at improving the independence and well-being of LGBTIQ+ people through support activities. The guests are counselled by psycho-socio-educational professionals that support them in their path to social and work integration, in particular through:

• Psychological counselling, that is essential to let people elaborate traumas, discrimination and rejection
• Work and training counselling, to re-gain self-esteem and economic independence
• Basic daily support
• Medical and health support
• Legal advice
• Special support for refugees and asylum seekers towards the international protection recognition

While TO Housing is being acknowledged as the best practice throughout Europe, Quore has been working, at national and international level, to strengthen the network of organizations working to battle housing exclusion and marginalization of vulnerable LGBTIQ+ people.

Up to March 2024, TO HOUSING has welcomed nearly 120 guests, with 61% identifying as gay, 11% as lesbians, 28% as trans/gender-non conforming.

KB: Who can participate in this project?

The TO HOUSING service hosts anyone who identifies as LGBTIQ+. Particularly, we have been seeing:

• LGBTIQ+ youth (age 18/25) living in unwelcoming contexts or thrown out by their own families of origin
• Transgender and gender non-conforming people (all age) who are especially suffering the cultural stigma when accessing the labor market or housing facilities
• LGBTIQ+ refugees and asylum seekers (age 18/25 and 26/35) who suffer from a double vulnerability, as later described

KB: Where are the migrants and refugees coming from and how long can they stay?

Over the years we have been seen a substantial increase of LGBTIQ+ migrants and refugees asking for support; while the initial balance was 70% of Italian guests and 30% of migrants and refugees, we are now observing the following situation:

• 45% Italy
• 22% Africa
• 16% Asia
• 8% Latin America
• 9% EU and Extra EU

The TO HOUSING service offers a temporary residence of approx. 10 months and it receives more than 50 requests each year.

KB: Why are the LGBTQ migrants so vulnerable?

Migrants and refugees carry the burden of personal stories of violence, torture, persecution, war, poverty and the uncertainty of the migratory project, full of pitfalls and dangers not to mention the structural violence of their journey.

Given this framework, it is undeniable that LGBTIQ+ migrants are even more vulnerable because of their Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI); they leave their native country to escape from repressive laws, social control, discrimination and persecution and when the reception facilities fail to recognize their LGBTIQ+ status their sufferings are exacerbated.

The double vulnerability that this population group experiences requires an intersectional approach in planning the integration program. The SOGI dimension is a strong conditioning factor in the life of many refugees; in many cases it represents the cause of the migration, in others it is the cause of great mental and emotional distress.

For this reason, the development of an individual support service is the most effective strategy to meet the specific needs of this group of population.

KB: What is the Friendly Piedmont Project?

Friendly Piemonte is the warmest welcome that Torino and Piemonte dedicate to LGBTIQ+ tourists in order to offer the best hospitality culture.

Founded by Associazione Quore with the support of Regione Piemonte, Friendly Piemonte intends to promote Torino and Piemonte as an LGBTIQ+ tourist destination.

The project aims at raising the awareness among tourism professionals about inclusion and equality, and at fostering the development of a better hospitality culture. For this reason, Friendly Piemonte brings together tourism professionals, local bodies and travel experts to ensure the best travel experience and to enrich the beautiful tourist offer with rainbow colors.
KB: What can a country and people do so LGBTQ people feel safe and understand?

Despite the progresses that have been made, the LGBTIQ+ community is still facing many challenges everywhere in the world. In Europe for instance we are observing an alarming backlash in terms of racism and homotransphobia and LGBTIQ+ issues are often under political attack or perceived as sensitive “thorny” topic.

Governments need to take responsibility for every citizens’ life and protect everyone dignity by advancing legislation and improving anti-discrimination policies. We strongly believe that this would produce a significant impact on the general cultural climate and foster a change of perspective and mindset.

Activist organizations, on the other hand, need to keep on developing accurate advocacy strategies, each in their own context, to push this change and to raise awareness and, most importantly involve allies.

Check out Quore’s website to learn more about the projects and to support their activities: HERE

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