Yesterday, Rome’s unpopular “first citizen”, Ignazio Marino officially registered 16 gay marriages celebrated abroad by homosexual Rome residents. The mayor’s act will have no legal effect, because tomorrow, if not today, the prefect of Rome, the government’s representative in legal matters, is expected to nullify Marino’s act, that is to strike it off the books. Some people have, however, expressed approval of the mayor’s otherwise ineffectual move saying it at least drew attention to the issue by making headlines and stimulating significant TV coverage.
