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Italian minister to attend gay pride in Palermo

Angela Giuffrida
Angela Giuffrida - [email protected]
Italian minister to attend gay pride in Palermo
Josefa Idem (right). Photo: Andreas Solaro/AFP

Josefa Idem, Italy’s minister of equal opportunities, has said she will attend Gay Pride in Palermo, Sicily, on June 14th, according to Italian press reports.

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Idem, who was this year elected as a member of the Italian parliament for the Democratic Party, said a strong commitment was needed at a national and European level “to ensure equal treatment and dignity of gay and lesbian people.”

Idem, who was an Olympic canoeist before becoming a politician, will be joined by Laura Boldrini, the president of the Chamber of Deputies.

The move comes a week after Giancarlo Galan, a lawmaker from Silvio Berlusconi’s People of Freedom party, submitted a draft bill to recognise same-sex unions.

An estimated 100,000 people from across Italy are expected to attend Palermo’s Gay Pride. A series of events will run from June 14th until the 23rd.

Idem said her attendance highlighted the fact that more attention must be given to gay and lesbian rights.

Galan said last Thursday that Italy was behind when it came to civil rights. His comments came a day after France celebrated its first gay wedding.

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