Lady Gaga sends message of hope to LGBTQ+ community in Italy after blocked bill

The singer was moved to tears after seeing a video of protestors in Italy singing 'Born This Way' after a bill that would protect LGBTQ+ people was blocked by the Senate.

News . Written by Saoirse Schad.

Lady Gaga during a talk show, looking at the camera while shares her message of support for the LGBTQ+ community in Italy after the hate crime bill was blocked
Image: Che Tempo Fa via Twitter

Lady Gaga fought back tears on the talk show Che Tempo Che Fa as she spoke out on the blocked Zan bill that would protect LGBTQ+ people in Italy.

“I just want to say something to the LGBTQ+ community in Italy — that you are the bravest, you are the kindest, you are an inspiration,” Lady Gaga said in an emotional statement after seeing the video of protestors singing her song as their anthem of pride.

“For this to happen is a total disaster,” she continued. “You deserve to be protected at all costs, like every human being on Earth. I will always write music for you, but more importantly, I will speak up for you.”

https://twitter.com/chetempochefa/status/1459977767966199818

So-called after the gay lawmaker and activist who drafted it, Alessandro Zan, the Zan bill sought to extend anti-discrimination protections to LGBTQ+ people in Italy, as well as women and people living with disabilities.

 

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Zan took to Twitter to respond to Lady Gaga’s touching tribute to the LGBTQ+ community in Italy.

“Yes, Lady Gaga,” he wrote, “the Italian LGBTQ+ community is strong and courageous. More than a society still steeped in hatred, more than senators hiding behind a secret vote. We will not give up until this battle is won. Thanks for your support.”

The “secret vote” Zan referred to in his Tweet took place in the Italian Senate in October where it was decided that debate on the bill would be blocked for six months, thereby effectively stalling all progress. With the legislature expiring in 2023, activists and advocates for the bill now fear that it will be impossible to pass.

https://twitter.com/OwenHanleyLives/status/1456028249541287946

Under the Zan bill, attacks on LGBTQ+ and other marginalised parties would have been treated as hate crimes. It was passed through the Italian parliament’s lower house in November 2020, but was blocked at the Senate level when the Vatican stated its opposition to the bill, in a move that was called “unprecedented”.

The Vatican’s foreign minister, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, said that the bill would contradict a treaty made between Italy and the Vatican almost a century ago and “threaten the religious freedom of the Catholic Church”, according to PinkNews. The bill would also require schools to dedicate a day to fighting homophobia and transphobia, to which the Vatican also objected.

Fans, activists and advocates for LGBTQ+ rights have all praised Lady Gaga for her message to the rainbow community in Italy after the heartbreak of the stalled bill.

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