Boy, 4, whose parents are in a same-sex relationship says he ‘only likes having two mums’ and ‘Italy isn’t right’ as backlash builds over prime minister Giorgia Meloni’s policy to remove LGBTQ+ parents from birth certificates
- Teddy Parkins, 4, from East London, had stern words for the Italian PM
- READ MORE: Italy erases the names of gay mothers from their children’s birth certificates in heartbreaking crackdown against same-sex parents and surrogacy led by its ultra-conservative woman PM
A boy with two mothers has said he ‘loves having two mummies’ and wants to have stern words with Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni as backlash builds against her government’s policy to ban same-sex couples from having both their names on a child’s birth certificate.
Teddy Parkins, four, from east London, says ‘I don’t think Italy is right’, after his non-biological mother, Lisa Parkins, 41, tells him about Meloni’s policy, which states only the biological parent of the same-sex couple can be named on the birth certificate in a crackdown on LGBTQ+ parents.
The little boy’s intervention comes after protests were staged outside the Italian Embassy in Kensington, London, where LGBTQ+ parents gathered to show their support for same-sex couples last night.
The demonstration, organised by groups including LGBT Mummies, gathered dozens of parents, who held rainbow flags, transgender flags and signs, while chanting: ‘Lesbians are mothers too.’
Meanwhile little Teddy has vowed to make a poster and send it to Meloni, which tells her people ‘can have two mummies’ – and says he wouldn’t have it any other way.
Teddy Parkins, 4, from east London, has said he disagrees with Giorgia Meloni’s controversial policy to ban same-sex couples from putting both their names on their children’s birth certificates
Speaking to Lisa in the video, which was posted to the @teddyhastwomams TikTok channel, the four-year-old says he hopes the ‘lady in charge’ of Italy will read his message in support of having two mothers, which he plans to deliver to Meloni in the post.
He says: ‘Then a lady will bring the mummies back. Because I only like having two mums.’
According to Meloni’s policy, Lisa would be the parent removed from Teddy’s birth certificate if the family was living in Italy.
Protesters outside the Italian Embassy in London last night said the landscape for queer parents in Italy at the moment is ‘scary’.
Stu Oakley, author of The Queer Parent, said: ‘Whilst this current situation is directly effecting lesbian parents in Italy, the whole LGBTQ+ community and our allies need to be aware of this far right movement and rally together to support our Italian brothers and sisters. Who knows what’s next?’
The 4-year-old says he loves having two mothers and wouldn’t have it any other way – before vowing to write a letter to Meloni
Teddy’s adorable intervention comes amid growing backlash against Meloni’s policy, which saw LGBTQ+ parents gather outside the Italian Embassy in Kensington last night
The protesters, from various LGBTQ+ rights groups including LGBT Mummies, chanted ‘lesbians are mothers too’ as they gathered outside the embassy
This adorable tot, wearing a top that read ‘cool dude’, had a sign that read: ‘I crawl in solidarity with my Italian gaybies’
One couple carried a sign that rubbished Meloni’s controversial crackdown, which read: ‘What a load of baloney, Meloni’
Lotte Jeffs, co-author of the same book, added: ‘The thought that I could be removed from my daughter’s birth certificate and essentially erased as her parent in an official sense is terrifying.
‘It goes to show how we must never take hard hard won rights for granted.’
She continued to argue that Meloni’s pledge is an example of ‘progress being rolled back’ in order to entice far right-leaning voters.
Laura-Rose, a member of LGBT Mummies, described the measure as ‘an abhorrent attack on families’ and a ‘human rights violation’.
She said: ‘The impact to those Mothers, their children & the future families in our LGBTQ+ community is immeasurable. This is something no Government globally have ever done before, & she is only focusing on the further exclusion & erasure of our families, rather than the impact on them.
‘What she also fails to recognise is that these mothers are tax payers, they support the Italian economy, as will their children in the future.’
Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party, which governs as the majority party in a right-wing coalition, has announced a crackdown on LGBTQ+ parenting
Many of the parents brought their young children along with them to the protest, some of whom were holding powerful signs.
One lesbian couple, who were carrying their baby in their arms, gave the tot a sign that read: ‘I crawl in solidarity with my Italian gaybies.’
Another couple carried a sign that read: ‘What a lot of baloney (sic) Meloni.’
Giorgia Meloni, whose Brothers of Italy party governs the nation in a far-right coalition, disapproves of LGBTQ+ couples raising children together and says the country’s laws do not allow children to have two mothers.
The prime minister campaigned against ‘the LGBT lobby’ and ‘gender ideology’ when winning power last year – and now claims she is simply tidying up grey areas in the country’s Byzantine legal system.
But critics claim Meloni is provoking an ideological war by picking on same-sex parents to appease her most hardline supporters and divert attention from struggles on other fronts, such as tackling immigration or poverty.
The controversy threatens to undermine Meloni’s success in defusing claims that she is a dangerous far-Right renegade, which she has been achieving through her prudent economic policies, toning down the Brussels-bashing and strong support for Nato and Ukraine.
Her party also wants to make so-called ‘procreative tourism’ a criminal offence, with possible prison sentences and €1million fines for Italians using foreign surrogacy – a practice deemed ‘worse than paedophilia’ by one of her MPs.
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