Alessandro Zan (born 4 October 1973 in

Padua Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice and southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of 20 ...

) is an

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left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social ...

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

and

LGBT LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...

activist Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...

Biography

Zan is a leading member of the Italian gay organisation Arcigay. Since 2013 he has been a member of

Italian Chamber of Deputies The Chamber of Deputies () is the lower house of the bicameral Italian Parliament, the upper house being the Senate of the Republic (Italy), Senate of the Republic. The two houses together form a perfect bicameral system, meaning they perform ...

. Born in Padua in 1973, Alessandro Zan is a member of the Italian Parliament, and an LGBTQIA+ activist. He graduated in telecommunications engineering at University of Padua, and Alessandro Zan’s activism began during his studies, with his involvement in peace movements and student associations. In 2001 he became the president of the local Arcigay section (the most important LGBTQIA+ Italian association) and in 2002 he organized the National Gay Pride in his own city, Padua. In 2004 Alessandro Zan was elected for the first time to city council of Padua, which in 2006, thanks to his commitment, became the first Italian city to adopt a register for homosexual couples and families. Elected for the second time to city council in 2009, he assumed the office of City Councilor for environment, labour and international cooperation. In 2008 he founded the Padova Pride Village, which is now the most important LGBTQIA+ event in Italy. Since 2013, the year in which he was elected to the House of Representatives, he has been fighting for the absolute equality of the Italian LGBTQIA+ community’s rights: in fact in 2016 he personally witnessed the passing of the law on civil partnerships – the first standard in Italy which, in the eyes of the State, recognized LGBTQIA+ couples and families – and delivered the speech marking its final adoption in Parliament. The latest bill on the matter of same sex marriage is called the “Zan bill”, because he was the first signer and the rapporteur in the House of Representatives.

References

«Padova ancora una volta apripista dei diritti»
Mattino Padova 2 January 2013
Alessandro Zan: "Meglio investire in caldaie ecologiche che bloccare il traffico" 22 August 2009Auto blu? Per l'assessore lo scooter verde Alessandro Zan, responsabile dell'Ambiente del Comune, dà il buon esempio: per lui le due ruote ecologiche della Oxygen al posto della vettura istituzionale

Corriere del Veneto (; ) is an Italian daily newspaper published in Milan with an average circulation of 246,278 copies in May 2023. First published on 5 March 1876, is one of Italy's oldest newspapers and is Italy's most read newspaper. Its masthead has remain ...

14 April 2010 Living people Left Ecology Freedom politicians Democratic Party (Italy) politicians Members of the Chamber of Deputies (Italy) 1973 births Italian gay politicians Italian LGBTQ rights activists University of Padua alumni 21st-century Italian LGBTQ people Democratic Party (Italy) MEPs MEPs for Italy 2024–2029 {{LGBT-activist-stub