Italy’s Possible Next Gay Prime Minister: The Homophobia Builds (Care2) 
The main opposition contender to replace Silvio Berlusconi as Prime Minister of Italy is coming under increasingly nasty attacks — because he is gay.
Nichi Vendola is the openly gay 51-year-old president of the poor region of Puglia in Italy’s ‘boot heel.’ And he is a phenomenon.
He’s learned from Barack Obama’s campaign — the Italian press has baptized him the “Italian Obama” — using an Internet network called “Nichi’s Factories” (fabbriche di Nichi) largely made up of people new to politics, especially young people and exiles from the traditional left. Nationwide polls show Vendola winning over either of the other expected candidates, Pierluigi Bersani, Secretary of the Democratic Party, and Berlusconi.
Two recent attacks give a taste of what will become a deluge of homophobia in Italy, possibly as soon as next May if elections are brought forward as many expect they will be.
[...]
Complete article at Care 2 : http://bit.ly/nSzHim
