For the first time in history, an openly lesbian activist has become a local councillor in Rome, the city of the Holy See.

And she wants to unite the LGBT population of the city to make the eternal city a gay capital in the style of London, New York or Berlin.

Imma Battaglia, 53, has been elected for the Sinistra, Ecologia e LibertÃ party, led by gay Puglia governor Nichi Vendola.

Battaglia organized the first official Italian pride in 1994. And she was also in charge of the World Pride 2000, organized in Rome in the year of the Catholic Jubilee.

The pride was a success, with over one million people in the streets. Battaglia shouted from the stage: ‘Siamo un milione!’, we are one million people, a sentence that made the headlines on all major Italian newspapers.

A couple of days after the historic parade, the Pope, John Paul II, himself got embroiled in the World Pride argument. He attacked the ‘weird events of the last days’ and said Rome had been ‘offended’.

Now, 13 years later, having been elected as a city councillor on 10 June, she is planning a better future for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender citizens.

‘As a councillor, the first thing I’d like to do is a meeting with all the Roman LGBT associations. We are not united, we need solidarity,’ Battaglia told Gay Star News.

Do you think Rome is still important for Italian LGBT life, now some have argued the real gay capital of the country is Milan?

Rome should set a good example, Rome should be a model for Italy. Now we have to organize the local same-sex couples’ register, as other Italian cities have done.

But this register must be coordinated with a full social program. Local welfare and local benefits are so important to gay couples.

The register can not be a symbol, it has to be a real instrument to help same-sex couples.

What are your plans?

We have to invest in culture, gay culture as well. Rome is not a gay capital, we should push a touristic program. Rome could be a gay capital as Berlin, London or Madrid.

We have to make gay tourists come here, we have history, culture, wonderful hotels, bars and clubs, a vibrant gay life.

What about the other campaigns Italian LGBT groups are currently running?

We can not forget education and health programs. We have to fight HIV, we have to fight gay hate in schools and universities.

This should start from the nursery schools, of course: gay couples now have children and send them to the schools. We have to prevent discrimination.

In the last 12 months Rome made the headlines for several anti-gay attacks, verbal and phisical assaults. Are you worried about it?

Gay hate is a big problem, also because, most of the time, the homophobic attacks are not reported to the police.

Now Rome must be a model for a new national law against gay-hate. We don’t have a law like this in Italy, this is the main problem.

Are you disappointed by the newly elected Roman mayor, Ignazio Marino, not going to the last pride parade?

I can understand his reasons, but the LGBT associations have a role to play. I’m not disappointed, but we have to highlight our function in society.