A day after France celebrated its first gay wedding, a lawmaker from Silvio Berlusconi's People of Freedom party claimed that he was submitting a draft bill to recognise same sex unions.
"We are very behind in terms of civil rights in Italy," the deputy, Giancarlo Galan, told AFP, saying it would apply the "same rules" as marriage.
Protest Against Gay Marriage In Paris Gets Heavy Security
Ahead of a mass protest in Paris against a new gay marriage law, with hardline activists expected to mingle among 200,000 demonstratorsl, the French police were on alert.
Advertisement
Under the proposed law "gay couples will have the same rights and duties as heterosexual ones," he said, particularly on inheritance and pensions.
The bill refers to "homo-affective unions" but avoids the word marriage "because it evokes a sacrality that hurts sensibilities," Galan said.
Italy is now one of very few countries in western Europe not to recognise any form of gay union.
![New Ban on Gay Rights Rally: Moscow]( "New Ban on Gay Rights Rally: Moscow")
Later this month, Moscow city authorities again turned down demands for a gay rights rally in the Russian capital.
Other hold-outs include Greece, Malta and most of the countries in Central and Eastern Europe.
Galan said he had received support from some members of his party, although Berlusconi himself and the party's secretary Angelino Alfano, who is also the deputy prime minister, have not replied.
"This is a transversal issue. There are people for and against" in the People of Freedom party and the main leftist Democratic Party, he said.
"The climate is rather favourable," he said.
"In terms of civil rights, Italian society is much more ahead than the political class, which is very afraid of the Catholic hierarchy," he said.
Galan, a former governor of the Venice region in northeast Italy and a two-time government minister under Berlusconi, is an outspoken social liberal.
Aurelio Mancuso, head of activist group Equality Italia, said Galan's move was "positive" but complained that previous draft bills on the subject have never been approved.
But Fabrizio Marrazzo, a spokesman for Gay Centre, said: "The time is right for a law like this to find a large, transversal majority in parliament."
The debate over gay rights in Italy has escalated following France's legalisation of gay marriage and the publication in leftist daily La Repubblica earlier this month of an emotional letter by a gay teenager who said he was considering suicide.
Source: AFP
Italy is now one of very few countries in western Europe not to recognise any form of gay union.
New Ban on Gay Rights Rally: Moscow
Later this month, Moscow city authorities again turned down demands for a gay rights rally in the Russian capital.
Advertisement
Other hold-outs include Greece, Malta and most of the countries in Central and Eastern Europe.
Galan said he had received support from some members of his party, although Berlusconi himself and the party's secretary Angelino Alfano, who is also the deputy prime minister, have not replied.
"This is a transversal issue. There are people for and against" in the People of Freedom party and the main leftist Democratic Party, he said.
"The climate is rather favourable," he said.
"In terms of civil rights, Italian society is much more ahead than the political class, which is very afraid of the Catholic hierarchy," he said.
Galan, a former governor of the Venice region in northeast Italy and a two-time government minister under Berlusconi, is an outspoken social liberal.
Aurelio Mancuso, head of activist group Equality Italia, said Galan's move was "positive" but complained that previous draft bills on the subject have never been approved.
But Fabrizio Marrazzo, a spokesman for Gay Centre, said: "The time is right for a law like this to find a large, transversal majority in parliament."
The debate over gay rights in Italy has escalated following France's legalisation of gay marriage and the publication in leftist daily La Repubblica earlier this month of an emotional letter by a gay teenager who said he was considering suicide.
Source: AFP
Brazil Clears Way for Gay Marriage
In Brazil, a top judicial panel cleared the way for same-sex marriage, ruling that gay couples could not be denied marriage licenses.
Advertisement
 Minnesota Governor Legalizes Gay Marriage BillAfter Governor Mark Dayton signed a marriage equality law passed by the legislature last week, Minnesota became the twelfth US state to legalize same-sex marriage. | Advertisement
|
Advertisement
Latest Lifestyle and Wellness News
Amid the challenges of caring for newborns and toddlers, a study notes a rising trend of new parents seeking social media's help for managing their children.
Lack of friends and family visits is tied to a 39% increased risk of mortality that can be used to develop effective therapies associated with social isolation.
Compared to wearing sun-protective clothes and avoiding the sun, using sunscreen is the least effective way to prevent sunburn on the skin.
Bacterial diversity in the human gut is benefited by eating fruit and vegetables with microorganisms of probiotic and health-promoting characteristics.
New research challenges the common notion that couples achieve better weight loss results.