Italy has taken a step towards joining every other major country in western Europe with the passage of a landmark civil unions bill in the senate that will give legal recognition to same-sex couples for the first time in Italian history.

The bill overcame staunch opposition from the Roman Catholic church and last-minute political manoeuvring by opponents of the Italian prime minister, Matteo Renzi, that nearly derailed the legislation.



While it was the first significant win for gay rights following years of failed attempts, Thursday’s developments were nevertheless greeted as a hollow victory by many LGBT activists because the bill was watered down days before its passage.

The legislation passed by the senate – in an overwhelming 173-71 vote – will allow same-sex couples to enter civil unions that provide legal rights similar to those of married couples.

But a provision in the legislation that would have granted non-biological parents in same-sex unions some parental rights – known as the “stepchild” provision – was struck from the legislation this week following a parliamentary agreement between Renzi’s Democratic party and his coalition partners, the New Centre Right.

Another provision that addressed the requirement for “faithfulness” in the relationship was also struck from the bill, after conservatives complained that the language tried to mimic marriage vows.

Renzi tweeted shortly after the bill passed that “Love wins”.

“Tonight many Italian citizens will feel less alone, more community. Hope has defeated fear. Courage has won over discrimination. Love has won,” he wrote in a statement on Facebook.

But Rainbow Families, an association for gay and lesbian parents, was indignant, calling for a protest on 5 March and saying the legislation “ignores the existence and needs of the sons and daughters of homosexuals”.

The bill still has to pass in the lower chamber of deputies, but its passage in the senate was the toughest hurdle.



While the bill will extend rights to LGBT Italians, the debate over the legislation has also exposed the enduring influence of the Catholic church over Italian politics.

Speaking in parliament, Roberto Calderoli, a senator with the rightwing Northern League party, sought to “remind” his Catholic colleagues of the “words” of Pope Francis and senior Italian bishops – even though the pope had explicitly said he wanted to stay out of Italian politics.



“All those who vote yes today will go to hell. There are no saints … Renzi will probably end up in hell, too. It’s just a question of time,” he said.

Although many activists were bitterly disappointed by the final text of the bill and the move to strip the legislation of the “stepchild” provision, others said that gay parents could still seek to legally adopt children through the Italian courts, which can rule on a case-by-case basis.

The author of the original bill, senator Monica Cirinnà, said: “It’s a first step, a victory with a hole in the heart. This is a very important law, but I also think of the children of so many friends. Now we have to take a second step; we are halfway up the stairs.”

The interior minister, Angelo Alfano, who led the charge against the stepchild provision but ultimately backed passage of the law, emerged as a clear political victor in the bruising battle over the legislation.

“We prevented an anthropological revolution against nature,” he said.

But it is another politician – the former comedian and leader of the populist Five Star Movement, Beppe Grillo – who many believe truly derailed the original legislation after he backed out of a parliamentary deal with the Democratic party that may have allowed the original legislation to pass. It is believed he did so to cause a political rupture and deal a blow to Renzi.



