Stand up for the facts!

Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy.
We need your help.

More Info

I would like to contribute

A photo shows people taking part in the annual Pride march, in Milan, Italy, June 26, 2021. Two years later, pride events are still occurring. Italy has not replaced them for a "Family Pride Month." (AP) A photo shows people taking part in the annual Pride march, in Milan, Italy, June 26, 2021. Two years later, pride events are still occurring. Italy has not replaced them for a "Family Pride Month." (AP)

A photo shows people taking part in the annual Pride march, in Milan, Italy, June 26, 2021. Two years later, pride events are still occurring. Italy has not replaced them for a "Family Pride Month." (AP)

Gabrielle Settles
By Gabrielle Settles June 9, 2023

Pride month did not get replaced in Italy

If Your Time is short

  • Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has not announced that Pride month was changed to a "Family Pride Month" to celebrate heterosexual families instead of the LGBTQ+ community. 

  • Pride month celebrations continue in Italy.

With Pride month in swing around the world, a rumor is spreading that one country has changed its plans. 

"Italy announced they are changing LGBT Pride Month to Family Pride Month," a man says in a June 5 Instagram video. The video originated from a YouTube Shorts post from Vince Dao, who describes himself as a conservative content creator. The country, he said, "will now celebrate traditional families and the mothers and fathers who raise children."

The video was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)

Although recently elected Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has vowed to oppose the LGBTQ+ lobby, the Italian government has not made a broad move to displace Pride month. It is still being celebrated. 

Meloni’s office did not respond to PolitiFact’s inquiry about the claim. But there are no official news releases from the prime minister’s office announcing such a change, nor is it reflected on her social media accounts or in recent news coverage. 

We did find reports from other fact-checking organizations debunking the claim, however. 

Jacopo Coghe, a spokesperson for Pro Vita & Famiglia, a Rome-based group that opposes same-sex marriage, told The Associated Press the claim was false. 

Featured Fact-check

"There has been no such announcement by the government and, as far as we know, there has been no proposal either," Coghe told the AP. "Proof that it is fake news can be found in the fact that no Italian media outlet has ever mentioned it. It is a falsehood that comes straight from abroad."

Meanwhile, there is plenty of evidence showing that LGBTQ+ communities across Italy are celebrating. Rome’s Roma Pride parade is scheduled to take place June 10, followed by other weekend events.  

The conservative government of Lazio, a region surrounding Rome, said June 5 that it would withdraw support from Rome’s annual LGBTQ+ parade. But that doesn’t mean the entire country is stopping celebrations.

Dolomiti Pride took place in early June, and Arcigay, a pro-LGTBQ+ group based in the country, has been sharing images of Pride events happening across the country. Events are planned every weekend in June, according to Italian lifestyle and travel website Quiiky Magazine, including in Milan, Palermo, Naples and Bari. Google search also identified numerous planned events elsewhere throughout June.

 

We rate the claim that Italy has replaced Pride month with "Family Pride Month" False.

Our Sources

International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association, 2023 Global Gay Pride Calendar, accessed June 8, 2023

Instagram post, June 5, 2023

YouTube Shorts video, June 4, 2023

Vince Dao LinkedIn profile, June 8, 2023

Pink News, Who is Italy’s new ‘fascist’ leader Giorgia Meloni and what does she say about LGBTQ+ rights?, Sept. 27, 2022

NBC News, LGBTQ Italians on alert as right-wing alliance triumphs in election, Sept. 27, 2022

LeadStories, Fact Check: Italy Did NOT Officially Introduce 'Family Pride Month' To Replace Celebration Of LGBTQ+ Community In June 2023, June 5, 2023

Associated Press, Italy hasn’t created a ‘Family Pride Month’ in response to LGBTQ+ celebrations, June 6, 2023

Provita Fagmilia, accessed June 8, 2023

Arcigay, accessed June 8, 2023

Arcigay, Twitter post, June 3, 2023

Arcigay Varese, Twitter post, June 7, 2023

International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association, Italy Events, accessed, June 8, 2023

Roma Pride 2023 Queer Resistance, accessed June 8, 2023

Roma Pride, Cinecitta Pride Party, June 11, 2023

Twitter post, June 4, 2023

Twitter post, June 3, 2023

Quiiky Magazine, LGBTQ Pride 2023 in Italy (updated in May), May 18, 2023

Google Search Results, Italy Pride Events, June 8, 2023

Browse the Truth-O-Meter

More by Gabrielle Settles

Pride month did not get replaced in Italy

Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!

In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.

Sign me up