Florence is now the first Italian city to have recognized adoptions by same-sex couples. In two separate cases concluded on March 9, Florence’s children’s court upheld the legal status of three children adopted abroad by two gay male couples, as reported by Corriere Fiorentino. Prior to the landmark decision, these children would not have been considered part of their parents’ family units when in Italy.
The first case involved a couple of two Florentine men who adopted two young boys in the United Kingdom, where the couple currently resides. The Florence court ordered a transcription in Italy of orders previously issued by a British court, recognizing the boys’ status as their parents’ children, as well as their Italian citizenship.
In the second case, the court recognized the adoption of a young girl carried out in the United States by two men of Italian-American and American citizenship.
Both instances differ from legalized stepchild adoption cases by same-sex couples, since none of the children involved had biological ties to the legal parents.
