Italy Disciplines General for Criticizing LGBTQ+ Community

Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto ordered disciplinary action today against a senior army general after he published a book mocking the LGBTQ+ community, migrants, minorities, and women's rights advocates. Crosetto condemned Roberto Fanucchi's book, describing it as "nonsense... that offends the army, the Ministry of Defense, and the Constitution." He added, "That is why the Ministry of Defense will take the expected disciplinary action." Fanucchi was the head of Italy's special parachute unit, conducted missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, and served as the Italian defense attaché in Moscow from 2020 until last September, when he was expelled following the Ukraine War. He was then appointed head of the Italian military geographical institute. In his book, Fanucchi claims that gay men are unnatural and that there is an "international campaign to support homosexuality" aimed at brainwashing the world. He also seemed to question whether people of color could be Italian, referring to Paola Egonu, an internationally recognized volleyball player born in Italy to Nigerian parents. Fanucchi told the Italian news agency ANSA that his words were taken out of context and do not reflect what he wrote in his book.