Same-sex relationship recognition is up for a vote in both Italy and Switzerland in the coming weeks—and parents are, not surprisingly, helping to push for equality. And in Australia, one 11-year-old girl is speaking out for her family.
Italy’s civil union bill comes up for a vote next Tuesday, and includes a provision that would allow for second-parent (or stepchild) adoptions. Martina and Julia, a couple in Rome and the parents of an infant, were profiled in Vanity Fair Italy about their family. They discuss the 13 attempts in two countries (Denmark and England) to create their son, the community they found through the national organization for LGBT parents, Famiglie Arcobaleno (Rainbow Families), how they have tried to legally protect their family, and their response to those who oppose equality for families like theirs. (Google Translate does a decent, though not perfect, job for those who don’t read Italian.)
The New York Times, in its coverage of the Italian civil union debate, also led with a parenting story, that of Dario De Gregorio and Andrea Rubera. The men married in Canada, became parents of three children, then returned to their native Italy where their relationship was not recognized and custody of their children was divided because they could not adopt each other’s biological kids. The stepchild adoption provision of the civil union bill, however, may be “too far-reaching” for some legislators, the NYT reports.
CNN followed the NYT and a few days later dug further into De Gregorio and Rubera’s story in “Gay dads hope Italy approves law on same-sex civil unions and parenthood.” Rubera told CNN that opponents of civil unions say “You stole your kids, you stole your kids from their mother. You denied to your kids to have a mother, you bought your kids from the supermarket like watermelons.” He adds, “It’s difficult to imagine if you aren’t living in Italy … how strong and awful the public debate about civil unions has become.”
Like the NYT, CNN notes that adoption may be too high a hurdle: “Many people who support same-sex unions for tax benefits and inheritance do not support the adoption of children by same-sex couples.”
Meanwhile, in Switzerland, a referendum on February 28 could change the constitution to ban marriage equality—by slipping a “one man-one woman” definition into a question on equalizing taxes for married and unmarried couples. The country currently allows same-sex registered partnerships. The Aargauer Zeitung profiles moms Sara and Carmen Keller in “Mami verdient Geld, Mama ist Hausfrau” (“Mami earns money, Mama is a housewife”) and shows us the impact of their tenuous legal status. They are registered partners, but only Sara, the biological mother, is recognized as a parent to their daughter. They discuss how they met, how they chose a donor, and their desire to grow their family even more. (Again, you’ll have to fall back on Google Translate if you don’t speak German. The Goog does less well with German than with Romance languages, but you can get the gist.)
In Australia, a referendum (plebiscite) on marriage equality is scheduled for 2017—but 11-year-old Isabella Mills, who has two moms, thinks it is a waste of time and money in the face of strong public support for equality. Watch her speak out below. (H/t Pinknews.co.uk.)
ICYMI: 11-year-old Isabella Mills reads out her letter about the plebiscite on #MarriageEquality #TheProjectTV https://t.co/YBfVAEKbh6
— #TheProjectTV (@theprojecttv) January 28, 2016
Finally, in other timely international news, India’s Supreme Court next week will hold a hearing on decriminalizing homosexuality. Let’s not forget that marriage (and even civil unions) are a luxury compared to the basic human rights still being sought in many places.
