Far-right anti-LGBTQ leader Giorgia Meloni claims Italy election victory
"No to the LGBT lobby, yes to sexual identity, no to gender ideology," Meloni is quoted as saying
Far-right anti-LGBTQ leader Giorgia Meloni has claimed victory at Italy’s election as of Monday (26 September).
Italian voters took to the polls on Sunday (25 September) after former Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s resignation triggered a snap-election.
The Brothers of Italy party took a victory in the Italian elections taking 26% of the vote, up from 4% in 2018.
The win marks another European country being helmed by a right-wing, conservative politician which has brought into question the state of LGBTQ+ rights across the continent.
Giorgia Meloni will become the country’s first woman Prime Minister but her record on LGBTQ+ rights is questionable.
As the BBC reports, earlier this year in a speech at Spain’s far-right Vox party, Meloni outlined her priorities: “Yes to the natural family, no to the LGBT lobby, yes to sexual identity, no to gender ideology… no to Islamist violence, yes to secure borders, no to mass migration… no to big international finance… no to the bureaucrats of Brussels!”
Meloni has also aligned herself with Hungary’s nationalist leader Viktor Orbán, who has made his own anti-LGBTQ+ stances very clear during his leadership.
However, Professor Gianluca Passarrelli of Rome’s Sapienza University told the BBC he thought she would avoid rocking the boat on Europe and focus on other policies: “I think we will see more restrictions on civil rights and policies on LGBT and immigrants.”
Giorgia Meloni has publicly opposed surrogacy and children being adopted by queer couples, idealising the model of the ‘classic family unit’.
Oria Gargano, president of an organisation helping domestic violence victims, has expressed deep concern about Meloni’s party winning.
“This a political party [Brothers of Italy] which has always denied women’s rights,” she told Euronews. “It has been against abortion. It’s against all the LGBTQ+ community.”
In a tweet on Monday afternoon, Meloni shared: “The Italians have entrusted us with an important responsibility. Now it will be our task not to disappoint them and do our utmost to restore dignity and pride to the nation.”
Giorgia Meloni’s government is set to come to power after October when current PM Mario Draghi hands over control.
The Attitude September/October issue is out now.