Mayor of Rome promises Civil Unions and Marriage Registration

Mayor of Rome, Ignazio Marino

At the 20th anniversary of the first Rome Gay Pride Parade the Mayor of Rome, Ignazio Marino, promised the approval of a Civil Union Register for cohabitants couples and the registration of same-sex marriages performed abroad.







On June 7, moments before the start of the Rome Gay Pride Parade, the Mayor of Rome, Ignazio Marino, (PD, Democratic Party), promised to table a vote on a motion calling for establishing the City Civil Union Register. Marino also signaled the intention to study whether marriages of same-sex couples could be recorded before the Civil Registrar. 


The City Council is composed of 48 members, 29 support Marino mayoralty. Then 4 representatives of M5S (Movement 5 Stars) will certainly vote in favor of the motion. In addition it is not clear if another 2 members will vote for the Civil Union Register.

As promised Marino took part at the Parade which today celebrates the 20th anniversary. The mayor then headed the march through the streets of Rome. At the parade there was also Nichi Vendola, the openly gay Governor of Apulia. No members of the Renzi Cabinet took part at the celebration.

PHOTO: here (la Repubblica - Roma), here (il Corriere della 
Sera)

Mayor of Naples ready to register same-sex marriages

Luigi de Magistris - Mayor of Naples

Luigi De Magistris, Mayor of Naples, said he is ready to register marriages of same-sex couples performed abroad. 












During a conference on LGBT rights held by Arcigay in Naples, the largest Italian LGBT organization, the Mayor of Naples, Luigi de Magistris (political mainstream: left) signaled the intention to recognize any marriage of a same-sex couple.  

Arcigay has already announced its support. The President of Arcigay, Flavio Romani, stated, "This is the difference between those who simply preach rights and who puts them into practice with concrete actions that have real impact in people's lives ... The mayor of Naples and Fano rely on the sense of justice repeatedly invoked by the High Courts and implement a practice not only right but necessary... It is therefore a sign of great sense of institutional announcement today that Mayor de Magistris has entrusted to our National Council , an example that other mayors should hurry to follow ".

De Magistris is the Mayor of Naples since 2011. In 2012 the Comune of Naple established a Registro delle Unioni Civili (Civil Union Register) in which same-sex and opposite-sex couple are able to register their cohabitation. De Magistris is also in favor of Marriage Equality and LGBT adoption rights. 

Town of Fano recognizes first same-sex marriage

From left to right: Edwin, Mayor Aguzzi and Fausto

As promised, Mayor Aguzzi registered the marriage of Fausto Schermi and Edwin Van Dijck. This is the first time that a mayor records a same-sex marriage without a court order.










"This is for you, thank you all for helping to change the story, now the door is open", is what the couple said to a crowd out of the Municipio (Town Hall) of Fano in waiting for the ceremony. 

The Mayor, Stefano Aguzzi (center-right), commented, "I did not think that today, it was a situation that aroused so much hype. The decision to proceed with the registration of the marriage was a personal choice that I wanted to do in my capacity as mayor. I believe it is right that everyone, for their specificity and will, may have recognized his rights ".

Eventually the mayor stressed that this act should motivate the Italian Government to advance a fair legislation for LGBT people. 

Fausto and Edwin got married in The Netherlands in 2008, then, when a Civil Court ordered the town of Grosseto to recognize a same-sex marriage performed in New York City, the couple asked Mayor Aguzzi to register their marriage.

Italian town to recognize a same-sex marriage

Fausto Schermi and Edwin Van Dijck - Mayor Stefano Aguzzi

The Mayor of the town of Fano (Marche) said he is ready to register a marriage of a gay couple performed in The Netherlands.












On May 30 the marriage of Fausto Schermi and Edwin Van Dijck will be registered in the Registro dello Stato Civile (Civil Registry). According to the Italian laws the mayor is the registrar so Stefano Aguzzi (center-right), the Mayor of Fano, will be the one who will register the marriage of the couple on Friday. This will also be the last act of Aguzzi as the mayor of Fano.

Schermi and Van Dijck got married in The Netherlands in 2008. After the order of the Civil Court of Grosseto to recognize a gay marriage performed in New York City, Fausto and Edwin asked Mayor Aguzzi to register their marriage. They did it on May 17, the IDAHOT, with a march through the streets of Fano. (here: photos). 

No Mayor has done such a thing yet. It will be the first time. In April the Civil Court of Grosseto ordered the recognition of a marriage of two men and then the Comune of Grosseto complied with the order. In addition the Council of Latina asked the Ministry of Interior how to deal with the issue. 

In all of these occasions the mayors were already ready to register a same-sex marriage, but not the Parliament to recognize neither civil union nor minimal rights and duties. We should also take in account that the Mayor of Fano belongs to the center-right political mainstream and the Mayor of Latina belongs to a national far-right party (Fratelli d'Italia, Brothers of Italy). Something has changed in these days. Nothing in the benches of the most secular Italian legislature of ever.  

Italian town will "recognize" same-sex marriages performed abroad.

Gavorrano (Grosseto, Tuscany)

In an unanimous vote the Italian town of Gavorrano will "recognize" marriages of same-sex couples performed abroad.





The town of Gavorrano (Tuscany) approved on May 21 a motion calling for the recognition of same-sex marriages performed abroad. Even though the vote will not bind the Ufficio dello Stato Civile (Office of the Clerk) to register the marriages of same-sex couples performed abroad, the motion will be considered a "signal" for the Italian Parliament. 8575 inhabitants, Gavorrano lies near to Grosseto, the town where for the first time in the Italian history a marriage of a same-sex couple was registered after a court order. That order was appealed to the Court of Appeal of Florence.

On April 17 the town of Latina (Lazio) asked the Minister of Interior whether a same-sex marriage performed abroad was to be registered. In the coming weeks Rome, Milan and Turin will table a vote on the same motion of the town of Latina.

Meanwhile the Ufficio dello Stato Civile of the town of Fano (Marche) is pondering the same question. A gay couple - Fausto and Edwin -  asked the Mayor of Fano to recognize their marriage contracted  in The Netherlands in 2008. The Mayor said he would favor the recognition but he preferred to entrust the task to the Office of the Clerk of Fano. The Office will deliver its opinion next week. If the Ufficio will reject their application the couple will appeal the denial to a court. (HERE: photos).

Italian Town vote in favour to recognize a gay marriage

Antonio Garullo and Mario Ottocento

On Thursday the Council of the Comune of Latina voted a motion in support of the recognition of the marriage of Antonio Garullo and Mario Ottocento contracted in The Netherlands in 2002. Berlusconi's party hold the majority of the Council.  The Mayor of Latina, Giovanni di Giorgi belongs to a major far-right party and voted in favour of the motion. The motion is addressed to the Italian Government which may solve the question arose after the Grosseto case.


Antonio Garullo and Mario Ottocento were the first Italian gay couple to be married more than 10 years ago in Holland. In 2004 they asked the Ufficio dello Stato Civile of the Comune of Latina to register their marriage but their application was turned down. So the couple sued the Comune of Latina, but in 2005 the Tribunale of latina rejected their complaint. Then they appealed the Court decision to the Court of Appeal of Rome where they found a second denial. Eventually the couple appealed the second negative decision to the Supreme Court of Cassation. In 2012 this court rejected their appeal but delivered a landmark opinion for LGBT rights. That Court said that the Italian laws should treat gay and straight couple equally. 

Antonio and Mario asked the Comune of Latina to record their marriage on April 15 and this afternoon the Council of the Latina approved in a 14-2 vote (1 absentee) a motion in support of the record of their marriage. Berlusconi's party hold the majority of the Council.  Now the Italian government may say if the Comune of Latina should register this marriage. 

Antonio and Mario applying for their marriage record

Marriage recorded

Giuseppe and Stefano Marriage certificate

On Monday the Comune of Grosseto recorded the marriage of Giuseppe Chigiotti (68) and Stefano Bucci (57) contracted in New York City in late 2012. The Comune of Grosseto complied with judge Ottati order. 

The marriage certificate format was amended with these words: «Coniuge» and «Coniuge» instead of «Marito» and «Moglie» (Spouse instead of Husband and Wife).

A record of a marriage contracted abroad means that Giuseppe and Stefano are married according to the Italian laws. So Giuseppe and stefano are the first gay couple recognized as married in Italy.

Giuseppe and Stefano got married in New York on December 6, 2012. Giuseppe is an architect and Stefano is a journalist and pen for on of most famous Italian newspaper - Corriere della Sera. Afterwards the Ufficio dello Stato Civile (Office of the Clerk) of the Comune of Grosseto rejected Giuseppe and Stefano application for the record of their marriage. 

In March 2014 they appealed the denial to the Tribunale of Grosseto and on April 9, 2014, judge Paolo Cesare Ottati ordered the Comune of Grosseto to record the marriage of Giuseppe and Stefano. The Comune didn't defend the denial before the court. 

The Procuratore Capo of Grosseto (Attorney General) said that he will appeal the order of judge Ottati to the Court of Appeal of Florence. This court cannot put a stay on the order.