Gay rights in Italy

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Italian opinions have changed in the past and people are generally tolerent of gay rights, but not as much as in other Western European countries. This is due to the religious influence of the Roman Catholic Church, which has been ingrained in society for hundreds of years. Conservative Italian politicans such as Silvio Berlusconi have often been opposed to increasing gay rights.

Contents 1 Laws against homosexuality 2 Military laws 3 Laws against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation 4 Recognition of same-sex relationships

[edit] Laws against homosexuality

Since the introduction of the first Penal Code in 1890, there have been no laws against same-sex sexual activity in Italy. However, gays were persecuted in the later years of the Mussolini regime [1] and under the Italian Social Republic of 1943-45 [2] . The age of consent is 16.

[edit] Military laws

Homosexuals are not officially banned from military service. However, no administrative regulation or law explicitly allows them to serve openly either.

[edit] Laws against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation

In 2004, Tuscany became the first Italian region to ban discrimination against homosexuals in the areas of employment, education, public services, and accommodations. The Berlusconi government challenged the new law in court, asserting that only the central government had the right to pass such a law. The Constitutional Court overturned the provisions regarding accommodations, but upheld most of the legislation.

Since then, the region of Piedmont has enacted a similar measure.

[edit] Recognition of same-sex relationships

Same-sex couples living in Italy have no shared rights to property, social security and inheritance. Since the 2005 regional elections, many Italian regions with centre-left governing coalitions have passed resolutions in support of French style PACS (civil union), including Tuscany, Umbria, Emilia Romagna, Campania, Marche, Puglia, Lazio, Liguria, and Abruzzo. Regions officially opposed to any recognition of same-sex relationships include Sicily and Lombardy. They are led by the centre-right House of Freedoms. However, these are all symbolic actions.

Any substantive change must come from Parliament in Rome. Due to the recent change in prime minister, these changes could come in the future. In the Italian Parliament, the government under Romano Prodi has held discussions regarding a bill for civil unions for same-sex and unmarried opposite-sex couples [3]. Prodi has been a supporter of moderate rights for same-sex couples since July, 2005 when he met with gay activists, but he opposes gay marriage[4]. However, despite several bills introduced to the Paliament in the past, the government is likely to follow the programmatic electoral guidelines of the center-left coalition. According to the document, the coalition is only commited to a vague "recognition of rights and prerogatives of individuals who are part of a de facto couple". The results, if any, might be extremely modest.