Italy has approved an education reform designed to strengthen parental control over what children are taught about sexuality and gender identity in schools, marking one of the most significant pushes against gender ideology by a major Western European government in recent years.

The legislation, backed by the government of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, received final approval in the Senate on 4 June by 78 votes to 38. Under the new rules, schools will be required to obtain informed parental consent before students participate in programmes dealing with sexuality, emotional relationships, or gender identity. Parents must also receive detailed information about lesson content, teaching materials, and any external organizations involved at least seven days in advance.

Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara described the measure as a ‘victory for families and parental rights’, arguing that schools should not expose children to sensitive ideological issues without the knowledge and approval of parents. Following the vote, he said the reform would protect minors from ‘the confusion of gender propaganda’ while reaffirming the constitutional principle that parents bear primary responsibility for their children’s upbringing.

The legislation does not abolish sex education. According to the government, biological sex education will remain part of the curriculum, while teaching about relationships, mutual respect, and the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases will continue. The reform instead focuses on ensuring transparency and parental oversight regarding programmes dealing with sexuality and gender-related issues.

The measure forms part of a broader effort by Meloni’s right-wing coalition to challenge the growing influence of gender ideology in schools and public institutions. Conservative organizations welcomed the legislation as a long-overdue correction to what they argue has been an increasing tendency for activist groups to promote gender ideology without parental approval.

Progressive LGBT advocacy groups and opposition parties condemned the legislation, as expected, claiming it could ‘discourage schools from offering sex education programmes’ and ‘limit discussions’ surrounding sexual orientation and gender identity.

The centre-left Democratic Party maintained that schools should expand rather than restrict such programmes, while politicians from the progressive Green–Left Alliance accused the government of undermining the educational mission of public schools.

The Italian reform is pushing the gender debate in the direction first charted by former Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán in 2021, when the country’s parliament adopted the Child Protection Act, a law designed to shield minors from content promoting homosexuality and gender reassignment while strengthening parental control over children’s upbringing and education.

Orbán’s government argued at the time that decisions concerning sexual education should remain the prerogative of parents rather than activist groups, NGOs, or educational institutions. Although the Hungarian legislation went considerably further than the new Italian law—extending restrictions to media content, advertising, and educational materials—the underlying principle is similar: that parents should have the final say over when and how children are exposed to issues relating to sexuality and gender identity.

In April this year, after a years-long legal and political battle between Orbán’s government and the European Commission, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that the Hungarian legislation violated EU law, arguing that it unlawfully restricted freedom of expression and access to information while discriminating against LGBT persons. The Court further concluded that the legislation breached the fundamental values enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union, including human dignity, equality, and respect for human rights.

‘Parents should have the final say over when and how children are exposed to issues relating to sexuality and gender identity’

Unlike Hungary’s Child Protection Act, however, the Italian legislation does not restrict discussion of homosexuality or gender identity altogether, but instead introduces a parental-consent mechanism and transparency requirements for programmes dealing with sexuality, emotional relationships, and gender-related issues, placing parental oversight at the centre of the education system.

This distinction may ultimately prove decisive if the legislation is challenged before European courts, as the Italian reform focuses on parental rights and educational governance rather than restricting specific categories of content. The difference in the Commission’s approach is already visible in the relatively muted reaction from Brussels to the passage of the bill.

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