After a snap election on the 25th of September 2022, far-right politician Giorgia Meloni became the Prime Minster of Italy.
Despite becoming Italy’s first female Prime Minister, some have described her as the furthest right PM since the infamous dictator Benito Mussolini.
In a new page of Italian history, Meloni and her party the Fratelli D’Italia (Brothers of Italy) take power in a time of growing support for hard-right groups in the geopolitical landscape of Europe. Sweden also electing a governing coalition with a hard-right party with roots in neo-nazism.
As the Fratelli D’Italia have neo fascist roots and elected members like Lorezo Fontana who hold anti-abotion and anti-gay opinions the LGBT community of Italy have voiced their concerns for the safety of themselves and their rights. This coming after Italy has been shown as one of Western Europe’s worst for LGBTQ+ rights.
Zakaria Fettah, LGBT man from Bergamo Italy puts the election result down to the country’s “lack of education and ignorance” and how it has “always been a racist country not only about immigrants but also gay people”.
“In Italy LGBT community are seen as having less values than the rest. They are seen also a ‘deviants’, like people who have problems with drugs, anorexia and gay people and put them in one class”
Giorgia Meloni has spoken on LGBT issues and has said as a “Christian mother” children should only be raised by heterosexual parents. However, Fettah does not fear for LGBT rights as “in Italy if you want to govern the country you must have the support of the other political party and from Europe”, ”so, I think she is going to do her job”.
