Justin Trudeau and Giorgia Meloni spar publicly over LGBTQ rights at G7 summit

In an unusual display of open disagreement, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni on Friday took public potshots at each other. The spat happened as the two world leaders were attending the Group of Seven (G7) leader summit in Japan's Hiroshima. The topic of this spat, as per reports, was LGBTQ rights.

The disagreement, as per Bloomberg, started when just ahead of closed-door talks, Trudeau criticised Meloni and Italy on camera.

"Canada is concerned about some of the positioning that Italy is taking in terms of LGBT rights, but I look forward to talking with you," said Trudeau.

Aslo read | Identifying as LGBTQ in Uganda can lead to life in jail and even death sentence

Trudeau's comment left Meloni visibly bristling and annoyed. Later, after the closed-door meeting, while talking to reporters, she accused the Canadian prime minister of being a "victim of fake news" and even said he was a "bit rash" in his comments. 

Speaking in Italian, Meloni also said that after their talks he now probably understood that what gets written about her doesn't correspond to her reality. 

As per a statement released by Justin Trudeau's office, the Canadian prime minister also raised his concerns about LGBTQ rights in Italy during the meeting. The statement added that the Italian prime minister had defended her government's position and stated that they were following court rulings related to LGBTQ matters.

While speaking to the press, Meloni pointed out that she hasn't changed any existing legislation on LGBTQ issues in Italy.

In March, Meloni's far-right-led government ordered city councils to stop the official recording of both parents in same-sex couples. Instead, they were instructed to only acknowledge the biological parent.

Also read | ‘Urban elite concept’: Indian govt opposes same-sex marriage as SC to begin hearing

The move was denounced by gay rights activists as "homophobic". Speaking at the time, Alessia Crocini, the president of Rainbow Families, a non-profit organisation "supporting LGBTQ+ parents and their children", said the move exposed the Meloni government's homophobia.

"This government is the maximum expression of homophobia."

"Meloni says that for a child to grow up well, they need a mother and father, even if decades of research say otherwise. It is insulting to hundreds of thousands of families with two same-sex parents," she said.

Italy's law doesn't recognise same-sex parents and Meloni has previously stated that every child is entitled to a mother and a father.

She also remarked that people identifying with a gender other than what was assigned to them at birth are victims of ideology. In a magazine interview in March, the Italian prime minister said "Being a man or a woman is rooted in who we are, and can’t be changed."

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.