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.
“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, announced 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.
