I’m very disappointed to see this outcome. I’ve been writing about the bill for some time as it was introduced, debated, and then opposed by the Vatican.

Like the bill’s primary sponsor, I have tried to frame the issue around the basic fact that street violence against LGBTQ people is far more prevalent in Italy than in any other EU nation that was not once behind the iron curtain.

ILGA ranks Italy as one of the worst places in western Europe for LGBTQ people to live, with violence being an important part of the reason. (Lack of access to marriage and adoption are also critical.)

It’s frightening to see the extremes to which conservative and religious people will go to kill a law designed to combat violence against marginalized minorities.