Arriving by plane, train and 200 special buses, hundred thousands of men and women converged today on the Eternal City from all Italy for the extraordinary Gay Pride 2007 in Rome. The anti-homophobia event, in open defiance of the Catholic Church.

Politicians and Church ignores the bullying and violence which continues against gays, particularly young boys. Last April a 16-year-old, Matteo, tormented by his schoolmates in Turin for allegedly being too girlish, committed suicide. Last week the Italian press reported that another adolescent was beaten to a pulp by his father for being gay–family values, as it were, in action.

However the Church in Italy is not winning its battle in favor of its restrictive version of family values. The numbers of divorces is increased of 74% in the last ten years (source: ISTAT).