Thousands protest Italy rights bill for unmarried, same-sex couples
Family Day rally fills Rome piazza to protest legislation that would give legal rights to unmarried couples, including gay and lesbian partners
ALESSANDRA RIZZO
Associated Press
May 12, 2007

Hundreds of thousands of people, including families with their children, packed a Rome piazza on Saturday to protest legislation that would give legal rights to unmarried couples, including gay and lesbian partners.

The legislation has been at the centre of a debate dividing Italians. On one side are those who support calls by Pope Benedict XVI to defend the traditional family; on the other are those who say the measure would recognize the basic rights of people who live outside marriage.

The “Family Day” rally drew people from across Italy, who began pouring into the massive St. John Lateran piazza in the morning. By midday, a colourful crowd waving balloons, with children looking at clowns and jugglers, had filled the square. the rest