The slow creep towards equality
The Italian lower Chamber - by 265 votes for, 193 against and one abstention - has approved a bill to combat hate crimes and discrimination relating to homophobia, misogyny and disability.
Whilst the majority have welcomed the approval of the law as "an important step" - Italy is one of the last European countries to legislate for equality in this way - social acceptance of LGBT people is still some time away, at least according to the Matteo Salvini’s far-right League and the Brothers of Italy (BoI).
Edmondo Cirielli of the BoI wasted no time announcing: "When we win the elections it will be the first law we will repeal”.
That, and the Catholic bishops declaimed this as the death of freedom...
But despite their Trump-like claim, the League and the BoI are the minority voice. Just like the threat of a Trump second-term, things change and people and their views become an irrelevance.
The bill now goes to the upper house for approval.
More | Equaldex - LGBT Rights in Italy
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