As Italy polls leans right, fate of left falls on feminist
Italy's 37-year-old Elly Schlein is squaring up to face far-right Giorgia Meloni in a race to become Italy's first female premier, running on a platform of feminist politics by contrast.
Schlein's political career so far includes organizing two campaigns for former President Barack Obama, and blocking right-wingers from taking power in the left-leaning Emilia-Romagna region. She is also a former deputy of the European Parliament.
Still, she faces stiff competition, with Meloni's Brothers of Italy Party leading in recent polls.
"Not all female leadership helps women," Schlein said of Meloni to an audience at a campaign rally in Modena. "It helps nothing to have a female premier if all the rights for other women are overturned, including control over their own bodies."
Schlein has compared Meloni to former President Donald Trump and Hungarian President Viktor Orban, who have both passed anti-LGBTQ laws and policies.
Left-wing voter and bank employee Alessandro Corradi left one of Schlein's rallies saying, "She has proposals, unlike politicians who only listen to polls and try to win votes, saying trite and coy things that are dull and repetitive."
Indian company launches new matchmaking site
A dating site and app catering to the LGBTQ+ community in India has launched under the name RainbowLuv, said parent company Matrimony.com Ltd., which includes 45 gender identities, 122 orientation tags, and 48 pronouns.
"When it comes to serious matchmaking," said Chief Marketing Officer Arjun Bhatia in a statement, "the LGBTQIA+ community has been largely underserved, and we want to provide a safe and trusted platform for them."
As part of the goal of safety, the app requires users to register using government-issued identity cards. It faces some competition with Grindr, which is better known for hookups and casual sex than dating; and with As You Are, which presents itself as a more general LGBTQ social platform with dating elements.
International News Highlights — September 16, 2022
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