Thousands Protest Against Italian Government’s Latest Order Limiting Homoparental Families’ Recognition of Parental Authority
On Saturday, thousands of individuals gathered in Milan’s Piazza La Scala to protest against the Italian government’s recent far-right order, which intends to limit homoparental families’ recognition of parental authority exclusively to the biological parent. The order is based on a medically assisted procreation law from almost 20 years ago. The demonstration was organized by various LGBTI rights organizations who consider the decision “discriminatory” against homosexual couples.
Last week, the Italian Ministry of the Interior through the government delegation ordered the Milan City Hall to discontinue registering children born overseas to same-sex couples. The circular from the government delegation explains that only the biological parent will be indicated on the birth certificate, as well as the transcription of birth certificates issued abroad.
In July 2022, almost 300 families registered their children in Milan’s civil registry as their own, a legal void that the progressive mayor Giuseppe Sala approved. He regrets the government order, which he perceives as “a clear step backwards from a political and social viewpoint”. He encouraged the protesters, adding: “We have a big problem, which is a legal void that must be overcome.”
Additionally, this week in the Senate committee, the right-wing coalition rejected the European Commission’s proposal for the “European Certificate of Paternity,” which automatically recognizes paternity in another member state, including those of LGTBIQ families. The Democratic Party’s opposition leader, Elly Schlein, who publicly revealed in 2020 that she is in a same-sex relationship, joined the protesters. She stated that the government’s bureaucratic repression against LGTBIQ families was ideological, cruel and discriminatory, and promised to promote legislation that better recognizes and protects their rights. She noted that this discrimination is intolerable, stating that the Constitution already recognizes their rights, and they are growing up in their communities and attending their schools.
