The Fight For Italian Marriage Equality
The Fight For Italian Marriage Equality
The annual Pride march in Rome took place this week as LGBTQ+ Italians are continuing to fight for equal rights regarding marriage equality.
In Italy, both male and female same-sex sexual activity have been legal since 1890 though it was not until 2016 that civil unions law passed with many of the rights of marriage. Stepchild adoption was, however, excluded from the bill, and it is currently still being reviewed. The same law provides both same-sex and heterosexual couples which live in an unregistered cohabitation with several legal rights In 2017, the Italian Supreme Court allowed a marriage between two women to be officially recognized.
Currently, Italian law only allows heterosexual couples access to fertility treatments, but a Turin city council in April registered the birth of the son of a lesbian couple, who was conceived via IVF in Denmark.
While many strides have been made towards equality under the law, in May 2018, the Court of Cassation ruled that same-sex marriages performed abroad cannot be recognized in Italy. Instead, they must be registered as civil unions, regardless of whether the couple wed before or after Italy introduced civil unions in 2016.
We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about The Fight For Italian Marriage Equality! What is your stance on the laws regarding marriage equality in Italy? Join the conversation below!