10,000 Gays March in Protest in Rome
An estimated 10,000 homosexuals demonstrated in central Rome on Saturday to protest against what they said was the indifference of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s new conservative government.
Led by Rome Mayor Francesco Rutelli and marching behind a banner that said “Proud to Be Here,” they filed through the streets of the capital to press demands for greater rights including official recognition of gay couples.
Berlusconi, a conservative media tycoon, became prime minister in May at the head of a government that also includes the neo-fascist National Alliance, some of whose members are strongly opposed to homosexuals.
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