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).