Turin selected to host EuroPride 2027, highlighting Italy’s LGBTQ+ rights struggles
The city was chosen over the UK's Gloucestershire, which came in second place
By Dale Fox
The Italian city of Turin has been selected to host EuroPride 2027, being chosen over Gloucestershire (UK), Vilnius (Lithuania), and Torremolinos (Spain).
Turin was selected following after taking more than half of the vote, with Gloucestershire coming in second place, EuroPride organisers said.
The bid by Coordinamento Torino Pride highlighted recent legislative setbacks affecting the LGBTQ+ community in Italy. This includes laws that restrict surrogacy and limit the recognition of same-sex parents’ rights.
Alessandro Battaglia of Coordinamento Torino Pride said in a statement: “The international gaze of activists across Europe and the media power of EuroPride are often the necessary leverage to secure attention and progress on rights at a local level.”
In October 2024, the Italian parliament passed legislation making it illegal for citizens to pursue surrogacy abroad. This law enforces penalties of up to two years in prison and fines of up to €1 million.
“Our government is trying to take away people’s rights to live as they wish” – Donatella Versace
And in March 2023, the government directed Milan’s city council to stop registering children of same-sex parents. The move was criticised by LGBTQ+ advocates as undermining family rights.
Fashion icon Donatella Versace spoke out against the measures during the CNMI Sustainable Fashion Awards in September 2023, stating, “Our government is trying to take away people’s rights to live as they wish, they are restricting our freedoms… The freedom to build a family and live as one wishes, the freedom to love whom one wishes.”
Despite these challenges, Italy has made some progress in LGBTQ+ rights over the years. Same-sex civil unions were legalised in 2016, granting couples many of the rights afforded to heterosexual marriages, though joint adoption rights remain restricted.
EuroPride, which began in London in 1992, is hosted annually by different European cities to promote LGBTQIA+ rights. The event will be held in Thessaloniki, Greece, in 2024, Lisbon, Portugal, in 2025, and Amsterdam, Netherlands, in 2026 as part of WorldPride.