# Is Italy a good choice for a gay immigrant?



## kafkaM

Hi!
So here's the thing: I'm a Polish 17 year old who's been planning leaving this country for years. The main reason behind it is the discrimination that LGBT people experience in Poland - I've gotten screamed at and spat on just because people assumed I was gay, I don't like to think of what could happen if I was holding hands with a partner when walking down the street. I can't be bothered living like this and since the situation is looking grimmer and grimmer, I decided to get on the first plane after I finish high school and study medicine abroad. For years my top choice was Scotland, but brexit came and the tuition fees jumped to enormous amounts this year, so I started looking for another place to study in English (can't afford Ireland either).
The only other place offering true medical education in English is Italy, which brings me to my question: what are the current attitudes toward gays and migrants (I'm white so I think it wouldn't be such a problem, but you never know)? I assume it will definitely be a big upgrade from the Polish reality, but with the rise of Forza and nationalist/,,traditional family" values, I wonder if it's really that substantial of a choice. I'm specifically talking about big cities (Milan, Rome, Bologna, maybe Padua). My only alternative would be hammering German for two years and applying to Berlin/Hamburg, which is not ideal with their cut-throat application system, especially since I wouldn't be confident in my language abilities.
Sorry that this kinda turned into a rant! I'll highly appreciate any insight on the subject. Thanks!


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## GeordieBorn

I would guess Italy would not be quite as bad as Poland from what I’ve heard, but I doubt it would be openly inviting.


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## tamti

I live in Italy but I'm a lesbian. 
Many gays are still closeted, but no witch hunt as in Poland. 

Try Bologna. Padova has a pretty sad gay scene despite the 70 k students. 

Source: I studied in Padova. I talk everyday with a friend from Poland, he's straight but he sympathizes with persecuted groups like Jews and LGBT people.


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## Italia-Mx

You might want to consider the fact that the Italian prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, who said "I can't wait to work with Joe and Kamala" (Joe Biden who immediately expanded rights for LBGTQ in the USA), resigned today. This leaves open the possibility of early elections with the choice of Matteo Salvini as PM.


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## RobertoKraho

I'm Brazilian and I lived in Rome and I loved it, the gay scene was full of parties, the Italians, in general, were super nice to me, in general, it was very quiet, I never went through any unpleasant situation for being gay, besides Italy is the land of the most beautiful men in the world so go without fear.


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## tamti

Note that Italians love Brazilians. As long you're not a Japanese-Brazilian like me, it will be fine because they're extremely xenophobic against non-Caucasian looking people. The treatment changes a lot when they know I'm not Asian but a Brazilian - which is plain racism.

Bottomline: if you look European, people here won't even mind you being gay.


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