Spring 2022 Internship With GAYNET ITALIA

This semester I had the incredible privilege to partake in an internship with Gaynet Italia in Rome Italy as a campaign assistant. Gaynet was founded in 1999 and since then its mission has been to create a constructive and influential network of LGBTQ+ journalists and activists. Gaynet is a national association that has chapters in all of Italy's major cities. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to resettle myself in Rome where I worked under the guidance of Rosario Coco, Gaynet's national secretary. Moving to Italy gave me the opportunity to meet people who were deeply involved in activist work and who have been part of the Italian gay rights movement for decades. This inspired me to study what impact the Italian gay rights movement had on wider Italian society and more importantly what impact it had on the political level. This allowed me to merge both my fields of study -- political science & sociology -- in a way that was meaningful and applicable. Over the course of the semester, my tasks included completing press reviews, participating in calls with the board of the association, and attending community-building events. I believe that many of the courses that I have taken over the course of my undergraduate career helped me put theoretical concepts of social change and the forces that drive it, into a real-world perspective. My time at Gaynet was invaluable and it provided me with the opportunity to implement a wide variety of communication tools and strategies that will definitely come in handy in whatever career field I choose to pursue. In terms of whether I am interested in pursuing a career in journalism or activism, I would say that I don't particularly see myself making it my main professional focus but I could see myself being heavily involved and assisting whenever possible. I couldn't have been more fulfilled with my time at Gaynet and I will definitely be staying in contact with them in the future.