Italy has begun removing the names of gay mothers from their children’s birth certificates, as part of the right-wing government’s crackdown on same-sex parenting. The move comes after populist prime minister Giorgia Meloni’s coalition announced in March that state agencies should no longer register the children of same-sex couples, a move that sparked protests in Milan. Families have begun receiving letters from the state prosecutor, with PinkNews reporting that 27 parents in the northern city of Padua have been issued notices that they were being removed from their child’s birth certificate. Other families have received letters in Milan, Florence and Fiumicino, near Rome. Michael Leidi and her wife Viola were reportedly among one of the three lesbian couples to be targeted by the crackdown, with Ms Leidi telling LGBTQ+ Nation that she “cried for 10 days” after receiving the letter. It informed them that the inclusion of Ms Leidi’s name was “contrary to public order”, as she was not the biological mother of the couple’s daughter Giulia, the site reported. The policy means only the recognised biological mother has parenting rights, and if she was to die, her children can be handed to relatives or taken into the state’s care. “It was as if I did not exist,” Ms Leidi told LGBTQ+ Nation. “I suspect the government is afraid that a family that looks different, like ours, can be happy - maybe even happier, sometimes - as a traditional family. “On paper, they say Guilia has one mother but we know she has two. We will do everything possible to prove we are a good family.” Speaking to the Daily Mail, Ms Leidi said that the couple had been together for 11 years and were both teachers of children with special needs. After Viola became pregnant through artificial insemination, their local mayor had signed Giulia’s birth certificate and had been “very supportive”. Despite this, they were recently sent a letter informing them of the changes to the birth certificate. It was followed by an unsuccessful legal attempt to overturn the removal of her name and a rejection by local judges of their bid to take the case to Italy’s Supreme Court. Italy’s first female prime minister had rallied against the ‘LGBT lobby’ and ‘gender ideology’ as part of her successful campaign last year to win power. Despite Ms Meloni comparing herself to British Conservatives and denying she is homophobic, her party rose to power with tough rhetoric against same-sex parenting and support for traditional families and moral values. In a recent speech, she said: “We want a nation in which – whatever each person’s legitimate choices and free inclinations may be – it is no longer a scandal to say we are all born from a man and a woman.” Her coalition partner, Matteo Salvini, of the far-right League party, had previously called gay parents “unnatural” while the government opposed a Brussels plan for a parenthood certificate that would be valid across the EU. In 2016, Italy’s former centre-left government legalised same-sex civil unions, however stopped short from issuing full adoption rights following opposition from the Catholic church. Gay couples are forced to go abroad if they want children, as they are banned from accessing reproductive medical treatment such as IVF and surrogacy is also prohibited. Italian law does not rule if same-sex couples can both be recognised as parents on official certification, which meant local mayors were left to make the call based on their own personal views. However, now the message from the interior ministry to town halls is that such arrangements are illegal. This follows a Supreme Court ruling last December against a male same-sex couple who brought a child obtained through surrogacy into Italy. Pro-LGBTQ politicians have condemned the move, arguing that it is clearly discriminatory. Elly Scheink, the leader of the centre-Left party, who is also in a same-sex relationship, said: “These families are tired of being discriminated against. “We’re talking about boys and girls already growing up in our communities and going to schools.” Meanwhile, a poll last month found that two-thirds of Italians hold positive views on same-sex parenting and adoption, demonstrating a surge of support in recent years. Read More UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak apologizes for a previous ban on LGBTQ+ people in the military Russian lawmakers pass a bill outlawing gender-affirming procedures to protect 'traditional values' Thousands march at Budapest Pride as LGBTQ+ community voices anxiety over Hungary's restrictive laws Six-year-old boy and his 12-year-old sister drown in Texas river New drug to protect babies and toddlers from RSV gets FDA approval ahead of cold season Ban disposable vapes by next year, ministers urged

Singer and actress Lily Allen simply tweeted ‘Brexit was dumb’ earlier this weekan and was met with overwhelming agreement from many. Since 52 percent of the British public voted to leave the European Union back in 2016, many have come to the conclusion that the decision was a mistake, after rising prices, limited economic growth, and other negative impacts that have risen as a result of Brexit. The 38-year-old singer’s tweet got over 9,000 likes and over 700 retweets. Making it clear that many shared similar feelings to Allen. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Some even said that Allen’s tweet didn’t go far enough, with one user commenting: ‘You win the Twitter Understatement of the Year Award.’ Others left comments such as ‘facts!’, and ‘simply put, and true.’ Of course, there were some who disagreed with Allen’s statement. One user said ‘it was the best thing to happen to the UK this century.’ Some users wanted Allen to give her reasonings for the statement. This isn’t the first time the 'Smile' singer has expressed her disagreement with the UK’s decision to leave the EU. Back in 2017, Allen posted a tweet that told Brexiteers they were ‘responsible for everything bad that happens to the UK.’ A YouGov poll from 2022 found 1 in 5 Britons who voted for Brexit now think it was the wrong decision. As well as Nigel Farage, a key Brexiteer in the Vote Leave campaign, admitting earlier this month that Brexit had ‘failed’. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Daniel Ricciardo has been ruled out of Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix after he suffered a broken wrist in Zandvoort. Ricciardo, who was due to take part in only his third comeback race, crashed out of practice on Friday and was in obvious pain when he emerged from his AlphaTauri cockpit. The 34-year-old Australian was immediately taken to the medical centre before he was transported to a nearby hospital with his left arm in a sling. A subsequent X-ray confirmed Ricciardo had sustained a break to the metacarpal on his left hand. He will be replaced by Red Bull reserve driver Liam Lawson, 21, with the New Zealander to make his Formula One debut. A statement from Ricciardo’s AlphaTauri team read: “After today’s incident during Free Practice 2 in Zandvoort, in which Daniel Ricciardo hit the barrier at Turn 3, he was brought to the local hospital and further examinations were carried out. “An X-ray confirmed he sustained a break to a metacarpal on his left hand, and this injury will not allow him to continue his duties, so he will be replaced by the team’s reserve driver Liam Lawson for the remainder of this weekend. The team wishes him all the best for the quickest possible recovery.” The flashpoint happened just 10 minutes into the second running when Oscar Piastri and Ricciardo crashed at relatively low speed within moments of each other at the same corner. Australian Piastri, who has enjoyed an impressive rookie campaign, lost control of his McLaren through the banked left-handed Turn 3 before slamming into the barriers. Moments later, Ricciardo, who appeared distracted by the sight of Piastri’s wounded machine, locked up under braking before following his compatriot into the tyre wall. He was still holding the steering wheel when he made impact with the Armco. “Ah f***, my hand, f***,” he said over the radio. Following Ricciardo’s dismissal by McLaren at the end of last season, and his career in apparent tatters, Ricciardo was handed a second chance by AlphaTauri, racing in Hungary and Belgium before the sport’s summer break. Ricciardo, an eight-time grand prix winner, was hopeful of using the concluding 10 rounds to prove he was worthy of a promotion back to Red Bull in place of Sergio Perez. But his plans now hang in the balance. The races come thick and fast, with the Italian Grand Prix to follow next weekend, and it is unclear at this stage when Ricciardo will be able to return to the cockpit. When the action resumed after Ricciardo’s crash, Lando Norris denied Max Verstappen a practice double by setting the pace. More than 300,000 spectators will descend on the coastal town of Zandvoort, 30 miles outside of Amsterdam, as the sport emerges from its summer slumber. The majority of whom will do so in the expectation of watching Verstappen march to his ninth consecutive victory – equalling a record set by Sebastian Vettel for Red Bull in 2013 – as he closes in on a hat-trick of world championships. But McLaren’s Norris raised the suggestion he could spoil Verstappen’s homecoming party after he ended the day with the fastest time. While practice speed is treated with caution, the British driver edged out Verstappen, who was fastest in the first running, by just 0.023 seconds. The impressive Alex Albon finished third for Williams, one place ahead of Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion finished three tenths adrift in his Mercedes with team-mate George Russell only 14th in the order. Ricciardo’s team-mate, Yuki Tsunoda, finished fifth with Pierre Gasly sixth and Sergio Perez, 125 points behind Verstappen in the drivers’ championship, seventh. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Daniel Ricciardo to miss Dutch Grand Prix after suffering broken wrist in crash Haas announce Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg staying for 2024 F1 Dutch Grand Prix LIVE: Daniel Ricciardo breaks metacarpal in left hand

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INDIANAPOLIS & GOTHENBURG, Sweden--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 27, 2023--