Italy comes out to support LGBTQ community before bill decision

Hundreds of locals took to streets in Italy to demonstrate fo a bill that would make anti-LGBT violence a hate crime leading to harsherpenalties in comparison to the existing punishments under the current law.

The demonstrators came out to request the government to roll out the long-overdue measures to provide basic human rights and safety from the attacks that the LGBT community faces in the country.

“We have been through centuries of discrimination,” said Marlon Landolfo, 21, who recounted a vicious homophobic attack on him and another man in northern Italy last month told The New York Times. “Now it’s 2020 and we are still discussing a law that protects us for what we are.”

Add WION as a Preferred Source

This bill, in talks, will now recognise anti-LGBT and anti-women hate crimes and hate speech and will include these as offences under the existing law that marks these as a part of the punishment similar todiscrimination, violence or incitement to violence based on someone’s race or religion. As per the new rule, the accused would face a jail time of four years, if found guilty.

The current law does not treat the accused under these strict measures and there is nospecific designation for such offences against the LGBT community which fuels the attacks against conducted against this community leading to an increased number ofhomophobic andtransphobic attacks.

Demonstrators came out despite a surge in coronavirus cases as many claimed that they feel less threatened by the pandemic and more by the continuous discrimination and attacks directed at them and their friends.

Italy has been one of the countries where people have not openly accepted the LGBTQ community, as opposed to the openness in other Western countries such as the UK, France and Spain. The European country legalised same-sex relationships in 2016, but same-sex marriage is still a crime in Italy.

The bill has a majority in the parliament as of now, and a decision is pending on the same. Whether or not the bill will be passed, will be revealed soon.