Rachele Falchi
Rossano Sasso’s denunciation of the queer theory course is the latest move in a reactionary agenda. Politicians and pro-life groups unite in a crusade against academic freedom and social progress.
The frontal attack launched by the Lega against the queer theory course at the University of Sassari, spearheaded by Rossano Sasso, is just the latest in a series of political censorship attempts targeting academic freedom. Much like the Church once tried to silence scientists challenging its power—think Galileo—the Lega and pro-life groups now defend a backward ideology that desperately seeks to halt societal progress.
Behind the guise of combating the “dangerous gender ideology” lies a deep fear of change. The fear that Italian society, like many others, is recognizing and normalizing sexual and gender diversity. The course, taught by Federico Zappino, is not a threat but a resource: a space for critical discussion and deconstruction of traditional dogmas about gender and sexuality. Yet, this freedom of thought is intolerable for those who seek to control knowledge and suppress cultural evolution.
Sasso’s accusations are not just baseless; they are dangerous. Just as the Church once equated scientific heresy with a threat to its power, today’s ultraconservative politicians use the “gender ideology” label to criminalize academic discourse that challenges an outdated and unjust social order. Their rhetoric is nothing more than a desperate attempt to maintain control over a reality they no longer understand.
Historically, attacks on freedom of thought have never succeeded in the long run. Science and progress have always triumphed over obscurantist forces, and the same will happen now. Suppressing the evolution of ideas and knowledge has never worked because truth and understanding inevitably prevail, despite censorship. Those who oppose social progress with political censorship will be remembered as the ones who futilely tried to stop the unstoppable.
Universities must remain free spaces where ideas and theories can be explored without fear of political retribution. Zappino and the University of Sassari are doing nothing more than creating a space to better understand the complexities of gender and sexuality in a constantly changing society. Resisting these attacks is not just an academic necessity but a moral obligation.
