{"id":7897,"date":"2019-11-08T21:13:25","date_gmt":"2019-11-08T20:13:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.queerlion.it\/?p=7897"},"modified":"2019-11-19T21:31:49","modified_gmt":"2019-11-19T20:31:49","slug":"uk-the-culture-trip-the-complicated-history-of-lgbtq-venice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.queerlion.it\/en\/uk-the-culture-trip-the-complicated-history-of-lgbtq-venice\/","title":{"rendered":"Uk, The Culture Trip: The Complicated History of LGBTQ Venice"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Venice’s queer history is a complicated but colourful one\u00a0|\u00a0<\/span>\u00a9 Andr\u00e9s Yeah \/ Culture Trip<\/div>\n
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From cross-dressing in cat masks to honouring queer film-makers at the Queer Lion Award, the history of the LGBTQ community in Venice is as labyrinthine as the city\u2019s convoluted system of canals.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The history of Venice is nothing if not long and complicated. Over the years, this scattering of islands has gone through various changes, from ruling the seas as a major maritime power to becoming part of the Kingdom of Italy in 1866. And, when it comes to its LGBTQ inhabitants, Venice\u2019s past is similarly complicated. Once a city where gay and bisexual men were burned at the stake, it transformed into a destination for queer people from all over Europe; but what is the city\u2019s LGBTQ scene like today?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Back in the Middle Ages, the practice of sodomy by gay or bisexual men was deemed a sin, and punished heavily by the Catholic Church. In 15th-century Venice, there are records of men of all social statuses, from commoners to nobles, being burned at the stake for their same-sex relations. However, despite the authorities\u2019 best efforts, by the 16th century there was a thriving underground gay scene in the city.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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People used masks to conceal their identities \u00a9 Andr\u00e9s Yeah \/ Culture Trip<\/span><\/p>\n

Legend has it that gay and bisexual men even exploited a loophole in the city\u2019s laws during the Carnival of Venice\u00a0\u2013 a hedonistic few weeks of revelry and rule-breaking, Carnival was a time when some laws were deemed void if the perpetrator was wearing a mask. Men would allegedly don a catlike veil, known as the Gnaga mask, and dress up as women to sleep with other men, ostensibly incognito, and without facing prosecution.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Melanie Marshall, an academic at University College Cork whose research concerns gender and sexuality in 16th-century Venice, points to how queer innuendo was evident in the culture of the day. The academic translates one song from the era by Franco-Flemish composer Antonino Barges, a Venice resident, which is clearly dedicated to a male lover; a particularly racy (though perhaps not very poetic) lyric reads, \u201cHe so flattens me with his thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In addition to men seeking other men for pleasure, there were those who sought to make a living through their sexuality. The popularity of male prostitutes soliciting other men in Venice grew to such an extent towards the end of the Renaissance that some scholars have suggested they were competing with the female courtesans.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Upset at the perceived loss of business, they allegedly asked the bishop Antonio Contarini to intervene. Consequently, female prostitutes were allowed to display their breasts on the streets of certain parts of the city, in a bid to clamp down on prostitution by transwomen, men disguised as women or simply cisgender men. This inspired the naming of the so-called Ponte delle Tette, or the Bridge of Breasts \u2013a moniker it\u2019s still known by to this day.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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According to the research of Chiara Beccalossi, reader of modern European history at the University of Lincoln, this attempt at turning Venice\u2019s men straight was only partially successful. Venice\u2019s prominent male prostitution scene increased until its peak during the 18th and 19th centuries, which overlapped with the relatively early decriminalisation of homosexuality across Italy in 1889 following the adoption of the Zanardelli Penal Code. Venice became attractive to wealthy gay and bisexual men from elsewhere in Europe who faced persecution in their home countries. They flocked to the city for the culture and entertainment, and sometimes to sleep with working-class gondoliers for money. (Writers like Frederick Rolfe mention this in their records.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Beccalossi says that Venice\u2019s reputation as a \u201cdestination for sex tourism\u201d was the result of multiple factors, including the city\u2019s long history of democracy, with the doge (leader) elected by the people; its culture of courtesans, noted by writers like Lord Byron; and its position as a \u201chuge port, where merchants, sailors and travellers were stationed\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Ponte de le Tette means \u2018the bridge of breasts\u2019 \u00a9 Andr\u00e9s Yeah \/ Culture Trip<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThese factors contributed to a lively homosexual subculture in the centre of the city, which was pretty unique,\u201d she explains. \u201cThe homosexual subculture was closely linked to the culture of female prostitution, and the two traditions went hand in hand. Traditionally in Venice, both male and female prostitutes sold their services in the same areas.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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However, despite the wealth of information about men enjoying the company of other men, the history of the rest of Venice\u2019s queer community isn\u2019t so well documented. Marshall admits that when it comes to tracing the histories of lesbian and bisexual women, or of transpeople, things get more difficult. \u201cIt\u2019s really hard to get the documentation for that\u2026 it just hasn\u2019t made it into the archives in the same way,\u201d she says. \u201cWomen didn\u2019t have the same access; I mean they did have access to prints, but not in the same kind of way that men did.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Marshall adds that despite the lack of archival proof, queer female experiences in Venice \u201cabsolutely happened\u201d. While evidence in Venice remains scant, there are recorded cases of same-sex relationships between women in convents in Renaissance Italy \u2013 such as the case of lesbian nun Benedetta Carlini \u2013 as well as the\u00a0femmenielli<\/em>\u00a0of Neapolitan society, a third gender that some academics have compared to transwomen.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The rise of Fascism in Italy, from around the first quarter of the 20th century until 1943, \u201cdrastically\u201d changed life for gay and bisexual men, according to Beccalossi. It became harder for homosexuals to live openly; once welcomed in Venice, they now needed to seek out acceptance elsewhere, with many heading to places like Morocco. Venice arguably lost its liberal reputation with Mussolini\u2019s takeover, and it\u2019s never really got it back.<\/p>\n

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Today, Venice is no longer seen as a destination for LGBTQ people \u2013 or at least, not in the same way it was for gay men in its heyday. For a city so often sold as a fantasy romance destination, it has a distinct lack of queer venues; the sauna Metr\u00f2 Venezia Club and the sex venue Juice Berry\u00a0being two of the few examples.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Still, while it lacks permanent LGBTQ spaces, Venice has plenty to offer on its cultural scene, particularly at the Venice Biennale, which has increased its representation of LGBTQ artists in recent years. In 2019 alone, the city plays host to work from Turner Prize winner Charlotte Prodger, visual activist Zanele Muholi and artist Martine Gutierrez.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The LGBTQ community isn\u2019t neglected in the city\u2019s other famous cultural event, either. Since 2007, the Queer Lion Award at the prestigious Venice International Film Festival (also part of the Venice Biennale) has spotlighted the very best of LGBTQ cinema. Daniel N Casagrande, co-creator of the award, says that it can help to launch the careers of queer artists; he highlights how 2018\u2019s winner, Guatemalan film Jos\u00e9 (2018), got increased visibility because of the award and went on to other festivals.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Queer Lion Award honours LGBTQ filmmakers\u00a0\u00a9 Andr\u00e9s Yeah \/ Culture Trip<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite this, Casagrande considers the Queer Lion more of a global offering than a Venetian one. Generally however, he feels the city is safe and welcoming towards LGBTQ people. \u201cVenice is very tolerant, laid-back and easy-going,\u201d he explains, but he acknowledges the lack of a queer community in the city. \u201cIt\u2019s not got a huge gay scene,\u201d he says. \u201cSo, to someone from the outside, it may seem small or non-existent.\u201d And like the historical records, Venice\u2019s gay scene is oriented almost solely towards gay men, with very few opportunities for queer women or transpeople to explore their sexuality in the city. More worryingly perhaps, Casagrande also expresses growing concern over the rise of Salvini and Italy\u2019s renewed political shift to the right.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Despite its small size and the difficulties it faces, however, Casagrande maintains a positive outlook about Venice\u2019s queer community. \u201cIt\u2019s like a big village \u2013 pretty much everyone in the scene knows each other. I\u2019d say it\u2019s a very good scene, overall.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Like so much of the city\u2019s past, the history of the queer community in Venice has been at times tumultuous; but for now, Italy\u2019s city of love does not discriminate.<\/p>\n

The Culture Trip<\/a> by Ella Braidwood<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Venice’s queer history is a complicated but colourful one\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a9 Andr\u00e9s Yeah \/ Culture Trip From cross-dressing in cat masks to honouring queer film-makers at…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7898,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[421],"tags":[321,1335,1336,415,1334,697,139],"class_list":["post-7897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press-review","tag-daniel-n-casagrande-en","tag-history","tag-lgbtq","tag-queer-lion-en","tag-the-culture-trip","tag-uk","tag-venice","post-item","post-even"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t