The Cantagalli publishing house has communicated a serious disservice to the detriment of the volume entitled “Homophobia law because it does not work. The Zan proposal examined article by article” by Alfredo Mantovano. The former undersecretary of the Ministry of the Interior, who has deconstructed the reasons for the law against homotransphobia point by point, believes that the debate is purely ideological and that the aim would concern not only the legal aspects but also a complex cultural design. In fact, the text edited by the current vice president of the Centro Studi Rosario Livatino lists various problems that could concern the sphere of personal opinions and the presumed risks that would run the freedom of teaching.
The Cantagalli publishing house through a note made it known that, despite the book being distributed in bookstores from March 18, 2021, “after repeated reports of customers wishing to purchase the essay from the bookstore chain Feltrinelli, the volume is still not present in this chain (it is instead present and available on Librerie Feltrinelli online) and that customers interested in the book still do not have the possibility to buy it, not even ordering it, from this chain.“. From the Cantagalli press office they let it be known that their distributor, Messaggerie Libri spa, asked for official clarifications from the management of the chain in question. A reply was received via email in which, among other things,”he apologizes by declaring his regret for what happened and promising to order the book“.
“Commercial obstructionism”
On the one hand, Cantagalli emphasizes that the library o the bookstore chain has complete freedom to choose whether to order, display and sell a book after making commercial evaluations or after evaluating the content: “Therefore, it can refuse to accept a book on its shelves if it does not believe it can sell it or if it believes that the book does not have interesting or adequate contents.“. But on the other hand it emphasizes that the bookstore or chain of bookstores”has no right to refuse an order from a person who is interested in the book and intends to purchase it there“.
Accepting the apologies arrived from the Feltrinelli Librerie Chain, the Cantagalli publishing house emphasized the attention on the behavior adopted towards the volume on the Zan ddl: “It seems to take on the characteristics of a real one censorship or ‘commercial obstruction’, which certainly does not suit a democratic country“Without forgetting that Article 21 of our Constitution recognizes the freedom of thought through speech, writing and any other means of dissemination. “However, we are convinced that the times when books were burned in the public square are now distant memories of a past that we sincerely hope will never return.“concludes Cantagalli’s note.