Vladimir Luxuria facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Vladimir Luxuria
Luxuria at the 2019 Roma Pride
Member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies
In office 28 April 2006 – 28 April 2008
Constituency	Lazio
Personal details
Born	(1965-06-24) 24 June 1965 (age 60) Foggia, Apulia, Italy
Political party	Communist Refoundation Party
Education	Sapienza University of Rome
Profession	LGBTQ+ activist politician author television personality actress playwright

Vladimir Luxuria (born 24 June 1965) is a famous Italian activist, TV personality, and actress. She also worked as a politician. Luxuria was a member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, which is like a parliament, from 2006 to 2008. She belonged to the Communist Refoundation Party.

Luxuria made history as the first openly transgender person to be a member of Parliament in Europe. She was also the second openly transgender MP in the world, after Georgina Beyer from New Zealand. She did not win her seat again in the election held in April 2008.

In the 2006 Italian general election, Luxuria was chosen to represent the Lazio 1 area in Rome. She lost her seat in the 2008 Italian general election. After Luxuria and Beyer left their roles, there were no other openly transgender MPs reported globally until 2011. That year, Anna Grodzka was elected to the Polish parliament.

About Vladimir Luxuria

Luxuria at Roma Gay Pride in 2008

Vladimir Luxuria was born in Foggia, a city in Italy. In 1985, she moved to Rome to study languages and literature. She also started acting, especially in cabaret shows. Through her acting, she became known for her unique style.

In 1991, she acted in the film Cena alle nove. She also began organizing parties and gay pride events. She became the director of "Muccassassina," a party that helped fund the Circle of Homosexual Culture Mario Mieli. Luxuria finished her studies at University of Rome La Sapienza. She wrote her final paper on the writer Joseph Conrad.

She helped organize Italy's first pride festival in Rome on June 2, 1994. About ten thousand people attended this event. From 2001 to 2003, she performed in Italian theaters. She starred in the musical Emotions with Sabrina Salerno and Ambra Angiolini.

Luxuria also worked in television. In 2005, she hosted a TV show about music and culture from the 1980s. Before becoming a politician, she was well-known for her work with charity groups.

Luxuria uses the word "transgender" to describe herself. She prefers to be called by feminine words and titles. When she became a member of parliament, she decided to stop wearing her usual drag queen outfits. These outfits often included sequins, feather boas, and big wigs. She said that parliament was "not a discothèque" and that it was not helpful to "provoke [people] in such a stupid way."

After she did not win re-election in April 2008, Luxuria appeared on L'Isola dei Famosi. This show is like "Italy's celebrity answer to Survivor." She won first place in a public vote on the show, which took place in Honduras. Luxuria promised to give half of her €200,000 prize money to charity. She chose UNICEF, saying, "I know that I won't have children and I want to help disadvantaged children in my own way."

Luxuria at Bologna Gay Pride 2012 in 2012

In 2012, she was chosen to host the Italian TV show L'Isola dei Famosi on RaiDue.

In 2017, Luxuria spoke about her conversion to Catholicism in an interview. This news caused a lot of discussion. She repeated her statements on a TV show and in another interview in 2022.

Political Career

The Honourable Luxuria with President of the Chamber of Deputies Fausto Bertinotti in 2006

Becoming a Member of Parliament in 2006

In the 2006 election, Luxuria's name was placed second on the list of Communist candidates for Lazio. This was after the party leader, Fausto Bertinotti. This high placement helped her chances of being elected. Italy uses a system where seats are given based on the percentage of votes a party gets.

Time in Parliament

Her time in the Italian parliament started with some challenges. In October 2006, another member of parliament, Elisabetta Gardini, said that Luxuria should not use the women's washrooms. Gardini asked for a third washroom to be created. Luxuria stated that she had used the women's toilets for years. She also said that using the men's toilet would cause even more problems.

In the 2008 Italian general election, the Communist Refoundation Party joined a group of left-wing parties. This group was called the Rainbow Left. However, this group only received 3.2% of the votes. Because of this, they lost all their seats in parliament. Luxuria was not re-elected. After her win on L'Isola dei Famosi, some thought she might return to politics. However, Luxuria said she had no plans to do so.

Working for Equality

Luxuria has always been a strong supporter of gay rights. She has taken part in many events that promote equality for homosexuals. She helped organize Italy's first gay pride festival in 1994. She continued her activism while she was a politician. In May 2007, she participated in the second gay pride parade in Moscow.

When she was elected, she used her position to speak up for gay rights. During her election campaign, Luxuria made gay rights a main topic. She felt she represented the LGBT community. She said, "We don't want privileges – we want our rights." Luxuria also asked for civil unions for gay couples. She also wanted Italy to offer political asylum to "all gays who try to get into Italy from countries where homosexuality is punishable by death."

Before the elections, Luxuria also campaigned for gay couples to have cohabitation rights. She helped the campaign by getting support from the left in Italy. Luxuria also shared her long-term support for full gay marriage rights. She wanted Italy to have laws similar to Spain's law. In September 2006, she said that the Vatican's influence in politics, especially on gay marriage, went against parts of the Italian Constitution. In 2008, Pope Benedict XVI gave a speech. He compared protecting the environment to saving humanity from a "blurring of gender." Luxuria said that such comments were "hurtful."

Filmography

Films

Television

Theater

• Emozioni (2001–2003)
• Che fine ha fatto Cenerentola? (2003)
• One Drag Show (2003)
• Male di Luna (2004)
• My name is Silvia (2005)
• Persone naturali e strafottenti (2010)
• La donna uomo (2010)
• Morning has broken - Una vita spezzata (2010)
• Si sdrai perfavore (2011–2012)

Discography

• Der Traurige, in Hey Roma! (Klang Records - klg 003 - 1989)

See also

In Spanish: Vladimir Luxuria para niños