'Fears' for Italy's LGBT community after far-right win

Tue, September 27, 2022

STORY: Italy's LGBT community has "very real fears," after a conservative bloc dominated by the far-right won the country's general election.

That's according to leading gay rights campaigner and political candidate for the Gay Party, Fabrizio Marrazzo.

He's worried about a possible erosion of civil rights under the new administration.

"We have big concerns for new generations, because they are creating an ideological battle due also to the deep economic crisis, because of energy and other reasons. So hate was used as a tool against a given community also in many other instances in the past which we hope won’t happen again."

The nationalist Brothers of Italy group, led by Giorgia Meloni, emerged as the largest party in the September 25 ballot.

She will lead the most right-wing government in Rome since World War Two.

As part of a conservative coalition, Meloni is allied with the League - another far-right force led by Matteo Salvini...

As well as the mainstream conservative Forza Italia of former premier Silvio Berlusconi.

Marrazzo fears that the bloc's conservative views may lead to discrimination for the LGBT community.

"If there’s no action in conjunction with schools, social services, help centres risk failing to create synergy, because you can offer support to young people but if in the school or the place of work where the act of discrimination happens there’s no law to intervene, we can only give moral and psychological support to the people affected. Therefore, there can’t be a social change. This means not only to go backwards, but also that the situation would get worse and we are very scared about that."

There is already some evidence behind Marrazzo's concerns.

Conservative Catholic lobby, Pro Vita & Famiglia, has called on the new government to pick an education minister opposed to "any gender and LGBT ideological colonization in schools."

45-year-old Meloni herself presents as a defender of Christian values and an enemy of what she calls "gender ideology" and the "LGBT lobby."

Explaining her opposition to gay parenting rights, she has said that "unlucky children" who are up for adoption "deserve the best" - meaning a father and a mother.

She has, however, denied suggestions that her outlook would stretch to abolishing existing legislation on abortion rights or same-sex partnerships.

Meloni is not expected to take office before late October, so it is too early to say what her premiership will look like.

But her party's culture spokesman remarked just last week that gay couples "are not legal," later claiming he was referring only to gay couples who adopt.

In terms of public opinion, an Ipsos poll in June showed that 63% of Italians backed marriage rights for gay people, and 59% were in favor of gay adoptions - numbers that have increased in recent years.