Victory for Rainbow Families in Italy.

A significant win for rainbow families as the Meloni government has been ordered to pay €10,000 to two couples of fathers. The Court of Appeals in Palermo has upheld the appeals presented.

These rulings confirmed the adoption of four children by two couples of men. Furthermore, the Court has directed the Ministry of the Interior and the Mayor of Palermo to pay over €5,000 to each of the two couples to cover legal expenses.

This case originated in the United Kingdom, where in 2012, a couple of men, one Italian and the other British, adopted two children of British nationality. Subsequently, through rulings in 2015 and 2017, also issued in England, another couple of men, one Italian and the other French, adopted two English children.

The Mayor of Palermo never transcribed these four rulings in Italy, leaving the children of these couples, now adolescents, without legal recognition upon entering Italian territory. The Municipality ignored a series of international norms that require the automatic transcription of adoptions performed in another country into the civil registry of the nation of the other parent. Despite a Cassation ruling that should have been applied, the Municipality continued to deny legal recognition. Municipal offices justified the denial citing the absence of clear provisions from the Ministry of the Interior.

In response, the couples’ legal representatives lodged an appeal with the Court of Appeals.

Finally, the Court ordered the Mayor of Palermo and the Ministry of the Interior to transcribe the four rulings, in addition to the request for payment of legal expenses.

The Court’s decision represents a significant triumph for LGBTQ+ families, underscoring the imperative of legal recognition and adherence to international norms concerning adoption rights. This victory stands as a crucial step towards affirming the rights of rainbow families and addressing the legal disparities that hindered the children’s legal recognition within Italy’s borders.

Cynthia Cortés Castillo, Digital Marketing Executive