Italy Celebrates First Same-Sex Civil Union

It's not exactly marriage, but it's a step forward for Italy.

This past weekend the mayor of Rome officiated the country's first-ever same-sex civil union between Francisco Raffaele Villarusso and Luca de Sario in front of of family and friends.

“We had already decided do it and we moved abroad, but when the bill was approved we packed up all our things and came back to Italy,” said Villarusso.

From NewNowNext:

Italy was the last country in the European Union to allow for same-sex civil unions, which happened last May after a bill was passed that would have forced Prime Minister Matteo Renzi to step down if the vote failed.

Despite the progress, however, there is still headway to be made.

In addition to the bill being criticized for containing a controversial adoption clause, reports are indicating that if the couple tries to combine their last names instead of just choosing one over the other, they may run into tax and identity problems that heterosexual couples don’t have to deal with.