Gay couples kiss in protest
Two men were detained in Rome for kissing in front of the world famous Colosseum. In protest, hundreds of gay couples staged a mass kiss-in at the Colosseum to voice their continued displeasure with a reticent Italian government and society to grant them greater rights.
The two men in the incident were held briefly on the charge of conducting lewd acts in public but the police maintain that there was no discrimination involved. However, they continue to refuse to drop the charges which carry a maximum sentence of two years.
Gays have slowly been gaining greater rights in Italy. A civil partnership bill has been introduced in Parliament, but the government is divided on how to proceed with the bill and has not set a date for a vote. The bill would allow same-sex couples to sign a civil registry and then share pensions, health insurance, enter into contracts, and permit them to be considered the same as married couples for public housing. in Rome to protest the detention of two men for kissing in front of the famous monument. The protest drew a couple of dozen people t ROME: Kissing in front of the Colosseum, gay couples held a small gathering to protest the brief detention of two men earlier this week for kissing in front of the famous Rome monument.
