Vladimir Luxuria
Chi Ha Paura Della Muccassassina?

Vladimir Luxuria (née Vladimiro Guadagno; Foggia, 1965) is undoubtedly one of the most important figures expressed by the Italian homosexual community over the course of the last tumultuous decades, akin to Mario Mieli, Franco Grilli, or Gianni Vattimo, and her incisive autobiography proves to be a particularly interesting read for those who, poorly informed about the characteristics of homosexuality and its sociopolitical impact, wish to grasp, through her careful examination, the most important aspects of a world burdened by certain fundamental prejudices that need to be reconsidered in a more thoughtful way.

As is known, the positions of civil society on homosexuality are multiple: they range from the extremes of those who consider it a psychophysical dysfunction in need of treatment to those who see it as one of the simple variables of human sexuality, to those who consider it an irrelevant and aesthetically bizarre whim, to those who condemn it as an execrable vice (referring to the biblical story of Sodom or the original distinction between man and woman), to those who see it as a result of a decay in morals that precedes the more general crisis of a disintegrating society, distant from the values, feminine and virile, that should uphold it (recalling the spread of homosexuality in decayed civilizations like ancient Greece or Nero's Rome).

In this florilegium of distinct and discordant positions, all equally deserving of further investigation and critique, the Italian state seems to have assumed a position of correct balance: not treating homosexuality as a crime or as conduct to be repressed criminally or with imprisonment, as was done in the past and is done in certain countries, but rather accepting homosexuals as ordinary citizens, with neither unfavorable nor undue favorable treatment, justified by a misunderstood equalization between individuals and a formalistic conception of the concept of equality.

Thus the themes relating to the alleged "homosexual family" and so-called "gay adoptions" remain discussed and open, too delicate to be resolved in the blink of an eye, any illogical discrimination based on sexual orientation is prohibited, indeed favoring the inclusion of these citizens in the socio-economic fabric of a country open to diversity, as well testified - it should be boasted - by the inclusion of numerous homosexuals of both sexes in the police forces and, especially, in the army, where there are even dissenting positions on the matter.

In this sense, Luxuria's biography appears emblematic of the experience of a person who accepts her homosexuality from a young age and, through an individual journey of inner growth, exploits its potential to carve out an important space within the country, probably indicating a path of success and, at the same time, a path of self-assertion that could be followed by thousands of young people.

Touching and profound are particularly the pages in which the young Guadagno, even before renaming herself Luxuria, leaves her native land to reach the city, where, through the experience of prostitution, she establishes herself as one of the main actors of the so-called "gay pride," realizing how homosexuality should not be hidden and concealed, but recognized and exhibited, becoming itself a "brand" and "product" openly marketable in society, without scruples or moralizing fears.

In this perspective, the creation of the various Italian "Gay Prides" is appreciated, as well as the creation of the famous Roman nightclub "Muccassassina" (unfortunately the subject of a recent vile arson attack), where the world, homosexual and not, of the capital could gather to proudly claim, not so much their "poorly understood diversity" but rather their "uniformity" in respect to all other citizens, uniforms being the needs of homosexuals compared to those of any other human being.

The chapters that Luxuria dedicates to her definitive popular affirmation and the transformation of her path of emancipation to a political endeavor are no less interesting, with her election to the Chamber of Deputies for the 2006-2008 Legislature, under the banner of the Communist Refoundation Party, which in the past was openly hostile towards the gay world (consider the isolation of Pasolini - expelled from the PCI in '49 precisely for his homosexual tendencies - as well as the prior forced transfer of many homosexuals to Stalin's Gulags).

Luxuria's election not only restored an image of the left close to every kind of minority and detached from any form of moralism, but also suggested a possible way out concerning the identity crisis of the parties of the dissolved communist bloc, promoting a new figure, in her own way authoritative and rich in experiences, a symbol of the social ascent of subjects once relegated to the margins.

A figure perhaps underestimated by the nomenclatures, given less representation than she would have deserved, even at the governmental level, and thus losing the opportunity to promote a genuinely "liberal" character in politics, free from the ambiguities of many political representatives.

Published several years ago, this book does not dwell on Luxuria's subsequent affairs, particularly her participation in the well-known reality show "L'Isola dei Famosi," where the author made known to the general public a charge of notable humanity and sympathy, skillfully mixing femininity and masculinity, and easily overcoming all those barriers that in the past made the relationship between mass media and homosexuality extremely tormenting (recall the discrimination suffered by artists like Umberto Bindi, Don Lurio, Leopoldo Mastelloni, Giuni Russo, almost forced to conceal their nature by encoding it with multiple sleights).

Precisely with her participation in L'Isola Luxuria seems to have indeed fully realized her "parabola": from the homophobic province of southern Italy to prostitution in the Capital, to the maturity as a cultural, political, and television entertainer, perfectly in tune with the possible events in any life, even heterosexual, confirming the highly relative nature of the differences between various orientations.

Thus, an instructive read, which conclusively explains how one should not be afraid of any "killer cow," and how homosexuality is a relatively normal thing, and homosexuals are citizens like everyone else, whom no one should ever turn their backs on.