Rome LGBTQ+ Pride Parade Marks 30th Anniversary

Rome LGBTQ+ Pride Parade Marks 30th Anniversary

Colorful Celebration Through the Streets

The 30th anniversary of the Rome LGBTQ+ Pride parade saw tens of thousands of participants in vibrant attire marching through the streets of the Italian capital. The event was marked by lively displays of banners, dancing, and singing as attendees celebrated gay rights and humorously critiqued Pope Francis.

Reactions to Pope Francis’ Remarks

A significant number of signs and banners at the parade referenced a recent controversial comment by the Pope. Last month, Francis apologized after unnamed bishops quoted him using the term “faggotness” during a meeting in Italian. He used the term while reiterating the Vatican’s stance against admitting gay men into seminaries and ordaining them as priests. This week, he reportedly used the term again in a meeting with Rome priests.

One notable sign on a large motorcycle, driven by a woman in a rainbow-colored hat, read, “Attention, from here on high levels of faggotry.” Additionally, a man dressed as Pope Francis held a sign saying, “There is too much faggotry in this parade.”

Political Figures and Supporters

Elly Schlein, leader of Italy’s main opposition party, danced on a float at the center of the parade. Schlein is a vocal supporter of LGBTQ+ rights, in stark contrast to Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni. Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party opposes marriage equality, adoption rights for gay parents, and surrogacy. Last year, her far-right government restricted parental rights recognition to only the biological parent in same-sex families.

A participant held a sign saying, “I don’t like Meloni, but I like melons and red hair,” reflecting the playful yet critical tone of the parade.

Criticism of Gen. Roberto Vannacci

Another sign targeted Gen. Roberto Vannacci, a newly elected Parliament member from the right-wing League party. Vannacci was dismissed by Italy’s defense minister after writing a book considered offensive to women, gays, and Blacks. The sign read, “If according to Vannacci the LGBTQIA+ is a minority … he has never met the seminarians of Pope Francis,” highlighting the community’s resilience and sense of humor amidst political and social challenges.