The event, hosted at the Volunteer Service Center of Padua and Rovigo, gathered a significant audience both in-person and online.
Following institutional greetings from Margherita Colonnello, Councillor for Equal Opportunities of the Municipality of Padua, and Francesca Benciolini, Councillor for Municipal Demographic Services, Genny Sangiovanni, NELFA Secretary, opened the conference. She highlighted the progress made in LGBTQ+ family rights across Europe while warning about the threats posed by the rise of conservative movements.
The first session focused on the Italian context:
- Prof. Luca Trappolin presented a sociological analysis of how homoparental families are perceived in Italy, highlighting regional disparities and the media's role in shaping public opinion.
- Irene Amoroso (Famiglie Arcobaleno) shared her personal experience as a mother in a same-sex family, discussing the bureaucratic and social hurdles that many LGBTQ+ parents still face. Especially, she shared the difficulties she has been facing after the legal battles over birth certificates listing two mothers started two years ago.
- Valentina Bagnara, Veneto region representative of Famiglie Arcobaleno, described the challenges of local activism, including legal battles and educational outreach efforts.
- Michele Giarratano, an LGBTQ+ family law expert and member of the legal group of Famiglie Arcobaleno explained the current legal framework in Italy, focusing on recent court rulings on birth certificate registrations for children of same-sex couples and the obstacles to stepchild adoption.
After a short break, the second session provided an international perspective:
- Filip Milde (Prague Pride, Czech Republic) discussed ongoing efforts to secure legal recognition for rainbow families, particularly the advancement of legislation allowing same-sex joint adoption.
- Dominique Boren (APGL, France) explained recent changes in French law, such as access to assisted reproduction for lesbian and single women, as well as ongoing challenges in recognizing transgender parenthood.
- Daniel Martinovic (Dugine obitelji, Croatia) shared Croatia’s experience, noting growing public support for LGBTQ+ families despite political resistance, and the fight for full parental recognition.
The conference concluded with final remarks from the moderator, emphasizing the need for a strong European network to counteract the regression of civil rights and advocate for full recognition of LGBTQ+ families across the EU.
