Katia Bellillo

Katia Bellillo (born 17 February 1951, Foligno) is an Italian politician and former Minister. Originally a member of the PRC, she joined the PDCI in the 1998 and became Minister for Regional Affairs. She later became Minister for Equal Opportunities in 2000, in which role she successfully championed a range of issues including LGBT rights and women's boxing.

Katia Bellillo
Minister for Regional Affairs
In office 21 October 1998 – 26 April 2000
President	Massimo D'Alema
Preceded by	Franco Bassanini
Succeeded by	Agazio Loiero
Minister for Equal Opportunities
In office 26 April 2000 – 11 June 2001
President	Giuliano Amato
Preceded by	Laura Balbo
Succeeded by	Stefania Prestigiacomo
Personal details
Born	(1951-02-17) 17 February 1951 Foligno, Perugia, Italy
Nationality	Italian
Political party	PRC (1996–1998) PDCI (1998–2008) UIS (2009–2010) SEL (2010)
Alma mater	University of Perugia
Occupation	Politician

Early career

Katia Bellillo was born in Foligno in Umbria on 17 February 1951.[1] After graduating in education and social work, specializing in family mediation, from the University of Perugia, she was elected a regional councillor for Umbria from 1976. She served two terms as a member of the Communist Refoundation Party (PCI), serving as vice president of the Regional Council.[2] She later became a city councilor in Perugia where she was part of the Board of Directors of the local public transport company and a member of the Management Committee of the local health authority,. She became vice president of the Provincial Council of Perugia and councilor with responsibility for wildlife planning, social services, education, culture, sports and leisure, equal opportunities.[3]

Role in government

In 1998 she participated in the internal split in the PCI, becoming part of the new Party of Italian Communists (PDCI). The new party joined the coalition led by the Democrats of the Left.[4] Bellillo joined the first D'Alema government, serving in both the first and second governments as Minister for Regional Affairs.[3] In the next Amato Government she was Minister for Equal Opportunities.[5] In this role, she co-founded the Commission for Equalities and the Rights of Homosexuals with Laura Balbo which, among other achievements, enabled homosexuals to become blood and organ donors.[6] She also launched a national campaign to remove discrimination against female boxers and promote the sport of women's boxing.[7]

Later career

At the 2001 general election she was re-elected to the Chamber of Deputies in the single-member constituency of Orvieto. She was a member of the XIV European Affairs Commission and the member of the PDCI National Secretariat responsible for the Department of Civil Rights.[1] After the electoral defeat of The Left – The Rainbow in the 2008 elections, she joined with Umberto Guidoni to found the Unite the Left movement.[8] The movement, initially part of the PDCI, became independent and merged into Left Ecology Freedom (SEL) in 2010. Bellillo left the party shortly afterwards.[9] In 2019, she reentered politics and ran for mayor of Perugia.[10] She was unsuccessful, only receiving 1.77% of the vote.[11]

Controversies

During a Porta a Porta programme on sexual harassment broadcast on 1 February 2001, Bellillo was attacked by Alessandra Mussolini.[12]

In 2005, both Bellillo and the actress Sabrina Ferilli supported the referendum on assisted fertilisation. Ferilli later told Gente that despite respecting the practice, she personally preferred adoption. Bellillo denounced her in an interview in Corriere della Sera and was unsuccessfully sued by Ferilli due to parliamentary immunity.[13][14]

References

Citations

1. "Katia Bellillo". Camera Deputati (in Italian). Retrieved 26 March 2017.
2. Palazzo Chigi (2000). "Katia Ballillo". La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 10 May 2020.
3. Colombo 2001, p. 141.
4. Rose 2002, p. 77.
5. Rose 2002, p. 80.
6. Ross 2009, p. 206.
7. Trofimov, Yaroslav (2 February 2001). "Italian Cabinet Minister Fights For Women Who Want to Box". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
8. "Presentata Keri a Spoleto da Katia Bellillo la Mozione "Unire la Sinistra"". Tuttoggi (in Italian). 6 July 2008. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
9. Pierucci, Eugenio (19 April 2010). "La Bellillo abbandona SEL: sono "nomade della sinistra". Stanca di lotte fratricide, lavorerà per una casa comune". umbrialeft.it (in Italian). Retrieved 11 May 2020.
10. Cassadio, Giovanna (28 May 2019). "Amministrative, a Perugia la sinistra candida a sindaco l'ex ministra Katia Bellillo". La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 10 May 2020.
11. Redazione CiSiamo. "Risultati elezioni comunali 2019: tutti i dati definitivi". Ci Siamo (in Italian). Retrieved 10 May 2020.
12. Tonelli, Matteo (31 January 2001). "Calci e insulti il duello è servito". La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 26 March 2017.
13. Cavalli, Giovanna (29 July 2005). "Ferilli: la campagna sulla fecondazione? Non mi pento". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 17 February 2009.Archive index at the Wayback Machine
14. Longo, Alessandra (17 February 2009). "La compagna Ferilli tradita dal Pd: "La Belillo mi insultò, l'avete difesa"". la Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 17 February 2009.

Bibliography

• Colombo, Giancarlo (2001). Who's Who in Italy. Zürich: Who's Who. ISBN 978-8-88524-644-7.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Rose, Sarah (2002). "Parties of the Left". In Newell, James (ed.). The Italian General Election of 2001: Berlusconi's Victory. Manchester: Manchester University Press. pp. 71–87. ISBN 978-0-71906-100-4.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Ross, Charlotte (2009). "Collective Assertion of the LGBT Movement". In Albertazzi, Daniele; Rothenberg, Nina; Ross, Charlotte; Brook, Clodagh (eds.). Resisting the Tide: Cultures of Opposition Under Berlusconi (2001-06). New York: Continuum. pp. 204–216. ISBN 978-0-82649-291-3.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)