A Maltese gay rights group has condemned Italy’s rolling back rights on queer parents under the cloud of Prime Minister Meloni’s rightwing government.

In January, Italy banned the registration of children born to same-sex couples. Now, it’s taken a more drastic measure, cancelling and re-issuing 33 birth certificates of lesbian couples’ children, a move which ARc described as a “severe attack”.

“The far-right Italian government’s actions rip children away from their own parents but are being disguised as some form of false concern for women and the integrity of their bodies. What the Italian government’s actions achieve however is nothing more than the complete removal of parental rights,” an ARC spokesperson told Lovin Malta.

Non-gestational mothers in Italy are receiving letters informing them that they are being retroactively removed from their children’s birth certificates, while new birth certificates are being issued listing the name of only one of the child’s mothers.

The recent move endangers children’s access to education and medical care.

ARC added that all LGBTQ+ families are embraced in Malta.

As ARC, we pledge to welcome, embrace and be there for all Italian LGBTIQ+ families that travel south to find a new home for themselves and their families. We pledge to be there for our Italian siblings and to assist them so that they can live a family life of peace, acceptance and above all, love.”

Malta has some of the best LGBTQ+ rights on the planet – ranking number one for the eighth consecutive year according to Rainbow Europe.

What do you make of Italy’s actions?