Italy: Parliament rejects law against homophobia

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Law initiator Alessandro Zan (at a demonstration in Rome in July)

Photo: Simona Granati / Corbis / Getty Images

In the vote in the Senate, the smaller of the two chambers, 154 deputies were against and only 131 in favor: the Italian parliament has rejected the introduction of a law against homophobia.

In particular, the right-wing parties Lega and Fratelli d'Italia were against the bill, known in Italy as ddl Zan after the initiator Alessandro Zan by the Social Democrats.

Among other things, the text of the law provided for preventing and punishing discrimination against people based on their gender, sexual orientation or identity.

Homophobia would have been equated with racism in the penal code.

Imprisonment threatened.

In autumn 2020, the draft passed the House of Representatives as the first chamber.

In the Senate, however, the vote was delayed - now the law has failed.

After no compromise was reached between supporters and opponents of the law, Lega and Fratelli d'Italia pushed through a secret vote in the Senate and were ultimately successful.

Foreign Minister Luigi di Maio from the Five Star Movement then spoke of a “disgrace” and complained to Facebook that homosexuals in Italy are still being discriminated against.

His current party leader, the former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, said that parliament is not yet as advanced as it is in society in general.

Enrico Letta of the Social Democrats tweeted: “You wanted to stop the future.

They wanted to set Italy back. ”This time they would have won.

“But the country is on the other side.

And that will soon become apparent. ”Labor Minister Andrea Orlando wrote of a“ shame for the country ”.

as / dpa