Despite the rain, about 20-30 Deaf people from the Bay Area gathered at the Consulate General of Italy in San Francisco this afternoon to protest the Italian government’s proposal to change the name of Italian Sign Language (Lingua dei Segni Italiana – LIS) to the Language of Mime and Gestures (Linguaggio Mimico-Gestuale – LMG). This change is currently being considered by a committee.
The Deaf Italian community had originally been seeking official recognition of LIS when the government proposed the change. If adopted, the change will set the Italian Deaf community back by decades. The bill is currently making its way through Parliament and has one more stage to go.
Local leaders and activists, including Ella Mae Lentz, Sheri Farinha, Jim Brune, Judy Gough, Kristen Weiner, Kevin Clark, Vadim Milman and Butch Zein, met with the Italian General Consulate during the protest to voice concerns.
“The General Consulate was nice,” reported Ella Mae Lentz after the meeting. ” [he] did his homework before meeting with us. He called the DC Embassy which makes the direct contacts with Italy and they researched the laws. We made sure he understood that if [they] ever use LMG, it’d be insulting and inappropriate and must not be in the law at all. He did. He said LIS is a minority language trying to achieve formal recognition which is right.”
Similar protests were held today at Italian Embassies and Consulates in Berlin, Rome, Madrid, London, Belfast, Dublin and Washington, DC.
[Photos courtesy Jim Brune]
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Sign the International Petition: http://www.change.org/petitions/no-lmg-forza-lis
I’m deaf italian…..Thanks much!!!!!
Nothing about us without us! With such international spirit, thanks to you leaders for voicing concerns to avoid another tyrannous (sp?) disregard for our human right like the days of Milan 1880 that almost destroyed us. No longer an American phenomenon, it is truly global. Citizens of every “signing” population, whether their craft is teaching, painting, studying, acting, medicine or whatever, all have one primary concern – the civility and respect for the use of signed language. We need R & R, not rest and recreation, but Recognition and Respect for our signed language(s). THANK YOU!
Whoa! The Deaf SF protest at the Italian consulate office seems more successful and direct than the DC’s own protest.
The consulate attache was also very nice person, too.
Next time, we ought to make more coordinations like handouts, press packets and other things not surpass anyone within the protest to prevent miscalacuated effects.
Good job on the newsreporting! Keep up, Deaf Bay Area!
Robert L. Mason (RLM)
I love that there is such love for Deaf people all around the globe! It’s inspiring.
I wish I had known about this. I work in SF and could have attended.
No surprise that deaf bay area people would protest. Bay area is a hotbed for politics in deaf community. Thumbs up!
** Hands waving **
Thanks for this brilliant article. I was delighted to read this. Thank you.
Thanks for posting this!
I wish I lived in the Bay Area. Your community there is amazing!
Far out!
I appreciate all your work and also providing a lot vital infos. Good info here. Wave my hands.