Outcry in Italy over sex education bill to crack down on ‘gender ideology’

A restrictive sex education bill backed by Georgia Meloni’s far-right government and intended to crack down on “gender ideology and the woke bubble” has provoked fury in Italy.

Italy is one of the few EU countries not to have compulsory sex education in schools despite evidence showing that comprehensive relationship and sex education helps to prevent violence against women and girls.

The bill, which the lower house of parliament has passed, allows the teaching of sex education in middle schools, so for children aged 11-14, but only with written parental consent. The bill, which the senate would have to pass before it became law, is in line with the current procedures in high schools. Sex education is banned in primary schools.

Opposition parties, which had called for sex education to be mandatory, protested outside parliament on Wednesday, arguing that the bill was regressive and undermined efforts to prevent sexual violence and femicide.

Meloni’s ruling coalition, on the other hand, considers sex education as a tool to counter “gender ideology” that it says threatens traditional family values.

The under-secretary for education, Rossano Sasso, said the bill was intended to prevent younger children from being taught theories that cause confusion while requiring parental consent for sex education to be taught to older children.

“With this law, we are saying goodbye to gender ideology and the woke bubble,” he told the lower house. “Political activists will no longer be allowed to engage in political propaganda in schools.” He argued that without such oversight, leftwing politicians would “bring drag queens and porn actors into schools” to talk to children about “sexual fluidity and surrogate motherhood”.

Sasso concluded his speech by repeating the Italian fascist slogan “God, country, and family”, adding that “the creed guides our political action”.

Campaigners have long called for compulsory sex education in Italian schools, including the family of Giulia Cecchetin, a university student murdered in November 2023. Her former boyfriend, Filippo Turetta, confessed and was jailed for life last year.

Sara Ferrari, a politician with the centre-left Democratic party, said the bill “puts obstacles in the way” of schools that want to implement a tool “for combating violence against women”.

Various political parties have made 34 attempts to introduce mandatory sex education in schools since 1975. Obstacles have included heavy lobbying from pro-life groups, which associate the topic with promoting abortion, same-sex relationships and surrogacy, and the influence of the Catholic church.

Two surveys this year, however, found that 90% of students and almost 80% of parents supported sex education programmes.

The row comes a week after parliament stalled a debate over a landmark law that would define sex without consent as rape.