Rome (dpa) – Gay rights activists in Italy welcomed Monday the decision to issue a residence permit to a Uruguayan man whose application was initially rejected because his same-sex marriage to an Italian is not recognized by the country's laws. A court in Reggio Emilia, last month ruled that authorities had violated European Union norms on freedom of movement by denying the permit to the man, reports said. The Uruguayan man had married his Italian partner in Spain where same-sex marriages are legal. The couple have been identified in news reports as Rafael and Flavio. On the basis of their union, the Uruguayan had applied for a residence permit in Italy, for which foreigners can qualify, either through marriage to an Italian, or through obtaining legal employment. The residence permit granted to Rafael represents “the first document in Italian history which effectively recognizes the family status of homosexual couples,” said rights group Associazione Radicale Certi Diritti which supported the two men in their legal battle. Paola Concia, a lesbian member of parliament for Italy's main center-left Democratic Party, said the decision by the court in Reggio Emilia “is another important signal to Italian politicians”. She said that the “legislative vacuum” that exists in Italy where there are no laws governing same-sex marriage “is unacceptable for a country that wishes to be part of Europe.” The largest political party in Italy's parliament, former prime minster Silvio Berlusconi's conservative People of Freedom say it opposes the granting of any legal status to same-sex unions as these would undermine traditional Catholic family values, which the party says it espouses. Concia's own party is split on the issue, with some representatives saying they are against same-sex marriages while being in favor of giving gay couples some sort of legal recognition. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/CHysX Tags: Italy, LGBT, Partner, Permit, Uruguay Section: Latest News, LGBT, South America, Western Europe
