Rome, Italy
CNN
—

Hundreds took to the streets in Milan on Saturday to protest measures by Italy’s new right-wing government to restrict the rights of same-sex parents.

The demonstration, dubbed “Hands Off Our Sons and Daughters”, took place in the historic pedestrian square of Piazza della Scala and was organized by LGBTQ+ groups across the country.

“You are explaining to my son that I am not his mother,” one protest sign read. Others held up ballpoint pens to sign birth certificates in protest.

The protests also included Milan mayor Giuseppe Sala, who had previously tweeted that he supported same-sex families.

Organizers estimate around 10,000 people took part, while Milan city officials gave more modest estimates of hundreds.

In 2016, Italy became the last country in Europe to legalize same-sex unions, but it still does not recognize “adoption by stepchildren” or surrogacy, which human rights groups say is a result of opposition from the Catholic Church.

The government led by far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni places a strong emphasis on traditional family values.

Same-sex parents who want to register their children born abroad through surrogacy have often had to put only one parental name on the official birth certificate or take their case to family court.

Several cities, including the capital Rome and Milan, had introduced Parent 1/Parent 2 policies for birth registrations instead of the traditional mother/father designations, but last week the Interior Ministry ordered the city of Milan to end this practice. fuses.

Italy’s interior ministry said it would order birth registrars of other cities to end the practice as well.

Last week, the Italian Senate voted against a measure by the European Commission to make the recognition of same-sex parents mandatory.