Historic Win for LGBTQ+ Rights in Italy: Widower Secures Pension

Italy's Constitutional Court has ruled that widower pension rights are applicable to same-sex couples married abroad before the legalization of civil partnerships in Italy. The court's decision came after a lengthy legal battle, marking a significant advancement for LGBTQ+ rights in the country.

Italy's Constitutional Court announced a landmark decision on Thursday, granting widow pension rights to same-sex couples who married abroad before the legal recognition of civil partnerships in the country. This ruling marks a significant victory for the LGBTQ+ community in Italy.

The 2016 legislation on civil unions extended certain rights to same-sex couples, including widower pensions, yet the welfare agency INPS denied a pension to a man who lost his partner in 2015. The couple's marriage had taken place in New York in 2013, prior to the Italian law's enactment. The man’s appeal led the lawsuit to Italy's highest court.

The Constitutional Court, ruling in his favor, partially struck down a 1939 law from Italy's fascist era used to deny the pension. Denying such rights, the court stated, results in unjustified disparity in treatment. This ruling follows another significant court decision granting a child three legally recognized parents.