By Saverio Tommasi
“You will never wipe the smile off my face. You may hit me again and again, but you will never stop me from loving my partner more than anything else.” These were the words of Clément, the boy in the photo, scarred in the face, as he posted his picture after a six-on-two beating outside a club in Montpellier (France). Look at Clément, look at him being beaten for being gay. And let’s remember this bloody face, but also that smiling face, together with his partner, on the beach. Let us remember it when someone says that no, the law against homophobia is not necessary. And let us remember Clément’s face, reminding us of his words of love, even when we hear that no, two people of the same sex cannot raise a child. Because Clément and his partner, if they had been born in Italy, could not have a child, while those who beat them could. Dear Clément, today I am smiling with you, because if you can smile in this difficult moment, we can too. And there is no greater spite, for those who are animated by hatred, than to see their targets smiling. A smile, Saverio Tommasi
An Extraordinary And Ordinary Life 