Milan hosted a large rally in support of same-sex couples. The rally was organised after Milan was forced to stop a procedure used to register both members of a same-sex couple as parents of a child.
Previously, Milan registered both members of a same-sex couple as the parents of a child. The procedure was based on the transcription into the Milan civil register of foreign birth certificates of children conceived by surrogacy, which is illegal in Italy, or assisted fertility, which is only allowed for heterosexual couples here.
The prefect’s department warned it was illegal following consultations with the interior ministry.
Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala, who also attended Saturday’s rally, said the suspension of the transcriptions was a “step backwards”. However, he added he had no alternative as he could not expose council employees to the risk of facing criminal charges for registering these birth certificates.
PD Leader Schlein accuses government of cruelty
Democratic Party (PD) leader Elly Schlein accused the government of being cruel to the children of same-sex couples.
“These boys and girls are being cruelly attacked by those who govern the country,” said Schlein at the rally. Schlein was recently elected the first woman leader of the opposition, centre-left PD. “But they are children like all the others. They go to our schools, they are growing up in our communities.
“There is no reason to deny them recognition, their right to exist in this community”.
Earlier this week, the ruling right-wing majority was decisive as a Senate committee voted to reject an EU plan for the rights of same-sex parents to be recognised throughout the bloc.
Schlein said the PD was already working to present a bill for the rights of same-sex parents to be recognised in Italy.
