He pointed out that two of Italy’s southern regions had voted to elect gay men as regional presidents. This was followed by an era of coming out and empowerment, and “now there’s no longer the need to say anything,” he said. In the 1950s and 1960s, many gay people in Italy were not open about their sexuality, Cazzullo said. “Sexual orientation no longer has any importance, nor is it important to label oneself anymore,” said Aldo Cazzullo, a columnist in the Milan newspaper Corriere della Sera. Italian society’s approach to sexuality is changing. Same-sex civil unions were legalized in 2016, years after other European countries, but same-sex marriage is not legal, nor can someone in a same-sex civil union legally adopt his or her partner’s biological child. rights in Italy have advanced after decades of campaigning, but some legal challenges remain. In a 2005 text approved by Benedict XVI, who was pope at the time, homosexuality was described as “not a sin” but essentially “an intrinsic moral evil.” Italy has long been influenced by the Roman Catholic Church, which for generations considered homosexuality as a taboo topic to be either ignored or shunned. The 29-year-old artist saw the muted criticism for “Brividi” as a sign that “something has happened in Italian society.” But this year, even those polemics normally trumpeted by conservative politicians did not flare up. When the musician - who was born in Italy to an Italian mother and an Egyptian father - won the national song contest in 2019, anti-immigration comments followed.