The Court of Appeal of the Italian city of Naples today ordered full recognition of two second-parent adoption orders by the Court of Lille (France) in favour of a French-Italian family residing in the Province of Avellino. One of the mothers, Giuseppina La Delfa, is the founder and former president of Famiglie Arcobaleno, the Italian rainbow family association, and a NELFA board member.

The mayors of Santo Stefano del Sole and of Serino (both in the Campania region, of which Naples is the capital), acting in their capacity as civil status registrars, refused to update the birth certificates of the couple’s children. The reason for denying recognition relates to their sexual orientation, the parents being two mothers and the adoption depending on their married status. The Italian administrations objected that recognising the effects of those adoptions would be tantamount to recognising the women’s marriage. Yet the Court of Appeal of Naples already adjudicated the case on marriage recognition last year, holding that Italy is bound to recognise the French marriage. Read more via Nelfa