(ANSA) - ROME, OCT 27 - The floor of the Senate on Wednesday voted to halt examination of the articles of a homophobia bill and the amendments presented to it, effectively blocking its progress through parliament.
The motion to halt the so-called Zan bill, requested by the right-wing League and Brothers of Italy (FdI) parties, was approved in a secret vote in the Upper House with 154 Senators in favour, 131 against and two abstentions.
The Lower House had approved the bill, backed by the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) and the 5-Star Movement (M5S), among other groups, in November 2020.
Attempts to reach an agreement that would see the bill, filed by PD member and gay activist Alessandro Zan, get broad support failed earlier this week.
The Vatican intervened in relation to the bill earlier in the year, expressing concerns that it could breach the Lateran Treaty that regulates relations between the Italian State and the Holy See/Catholic Church.
The Vatican and conservative Italian political parties are worried that the bill could curb freedom of expression, in part because it allegedly leaves areas open to interpretation by courts because it is too vague.
Zan and the rest of the PD argue that the bill would not crimp freedom of expression, and Catholic conservatives would still be able to state that they find homosexuality sinful.
The bill would make homophobia an aggravating factor in acts of violence or discrimination like racism already is.
The bill would also set up an anti-discrimination day that private Catholic schools would be expected to take part in.
Foreign Minister and ex-M5S leader Luigi Di Maio said the bill had been "swept away in a disgraceful secret vote" while Gaynet said it was a "slap in the face for the majority of the population".
League leader Matteo Salvini said "the arrogance of the PD and M5S has been defeated" and said the debate should now restart from a League bill allowing the freedom of expression on the issue that the bill allegedly denied.
The defence and security pointman for ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right Forza Italia (FI) party resigned his post in protest at the vote saying his choice of voting his conscience in backing the bill had been negated.
FI called for a new beginning to debate on the basis of a "shared bill".
Amid the ill-concealed rightwing satisfaction at the vote, M5S leader and former premier Giuseppe Conte said "those who are rejoicing at this sabotage should explain it to the country".
PD leader Enrico Letta said "they have stopped the future but the country is on the other side" of the issue.
PD MEP Pina Picierno called the vote "one of the worst pages in the history of the Italian republic".
(ANSA).