ROME (Reuters) – Identical-sex civil unions in Italy rose in 2023 to a six-year excessive, the nation’s nationwide statistics workplace mentioned on Friday, however on the identical time LGBTQ teams say the present conservative authorities is making life tougher for them.
There have been 3,019 same-sex unions final yr, ISTAT mentioned, a 7.3% year-on-year enhance. It was the best quantity since 2017, the primary full yr after same-sex partnerships have been legalised underneath a centre-left administration.
It was nonetheless a small quantity in contrast with the greater than 184,000 weddings – that are allowed just for heterosexual {couples} – in 2023, and round 82,000 separations and 80,000 divorces, information confirmed.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni received energy in 2022 on the helm of a right-wing coalition following marketing campaign pledges to defend conventional household values and combat in opposition to what she and her allies name the LGBT foyer.
Since then, her authorities has sought to cease native authorities from registering each dad and mom for the youngsters of same-sex dad and mom and parliament final month permitted a invoice making it unlawful for any couple to go overseas to have a child by way of surrogacy.
These adjustments have been applauded by Christian conservative teams and criticised by the centre-left opposition and LGBT rights activists, who see the surrogacy ban as selecting notably on same-sex {couples}.
Italy legalised same-sex civil unions in 2016, overriding opposition from Catholic and conservative teams, however didn’t give them adoption rights.
