When I read about European countries granting rights to gay couples, I start feeling like the U.S. stands out as a weirdly righteous nation of homophobes. But it looks like Italy has their share of gay rights controversy as well. Some people are all upset over proposed legislation that would grant rights to gay and unmarried couples. Demonstrators staged rallies in Rome to celebrate Family Day, by which they apparently mean "Hetero-Married-Mommy-Daddy" family. Protesters reportedly "listened to songs...whose words evoked the need for children to have both a mother and a father." Maybe something like this? "Kids need a mommy and a daddy to be happy/ Mommy should have a vagina, and daddy a penis/ they'd better be married/ otherwise God is really, really mad at us/ So don't be all liberal or we'll burn for eternity..."

Thousands of folks who support the legislation mounted counter-rallies, which were attended by some politicians, including Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio of the Greens. Wow, the Greens are a real party there? One married woman with a family was interviewed, and "she says it is only fair that even if she did not have a husband she should be entitled to basic civil rights." Yeah, that is crazy talk. Here we like to keep our single parents down.

The legislation doesn't actually legalize gay marriage (think civil union) but that hasn't stopped one very big religious leader from opposing it. Could it be... Benedict XVI who wants to defend the traditional family? Is the pope catholic?