Trudeau calls out Italy on LGBTQ2S+ rights during meeting with Meloni at G7 summit

HIROSHIMA, Japan -

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called out the Italian government's stance on LGBTQ2S+ rights during a bilateral meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the G7 Leaders' Summit in Hiroshima, Japan.

"Obviously, Canada is concerned about some of the (positions) that Italy is taking in terms of LGBT rights," Trudeau told Meloni at the start of the meeting.

"But I look forward to talking with you about that."

The comments were made at the start of the meeting, prior to media being ushered out of the room.

In March, gay rights activists denounced as homophobic moves by Meloni's far-right-led government to limit recognition of parental rights to the biological parent only in families with same-sex parents.

In a move that would impact hundreds of families, the government told the city of Milan to stop automatically recording both parents in same-sex couples on city registers.

It was the last major city to continue the practice that had been briefly adopted in Rome, Turin, Naples and elsewhere after Italy's high court in 2016 made it easier for gay people to adopt a partner's biological child.

In a readout of the meeting sent out by the Prime Minister's Office, it says the leaders "exchanged views on the importance of protecting and defending human rights, including the rights of 2SLGBTQI+ people."

"Prime Minister Meloni responded that her government is following court decisions and is not deviating from previous administrations," the summary said.

Trudeau met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida earlier in the morning, where both leaders discussed increasing co-operation between G7 countries to further peace and economic prosperity.

The G7 Leaders' Summit is taking place between Friday and Sunday.

The summit is expected to focus on geopolitical and economic threats from Russia and China.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 18, 2023.

---With files from The Associated Press.