‘We’re living in fear’: LGBT people in Italy pin hopes on new law

Debate on long-awaited bill that would punish discrimination and hate crimes towards LGBT people opens on Monday

For 15 years, Marco and his boyfriend had lived together fairly peacefully in a town outside Rome. Then, in early June, a neighbour started harassing them.

It began quite lightly, with him being provocative whenever we met in the street," the 38-year-old said. Then he came to our home and forced his way in, calling us dirty faggots'. My boyfriend managed to get rid of him but he returned with a baton and threw himself against the door, repeating the same insults and threatening to set us alight when we were asleep."