Unlike many of its EU partners, Italy still does not have laws to punish homophobic hate crimes. But now a law proposed by Alessandro Zan, an MP with the Democratic party, has been passed by the lower house and will now go to the Senate for approval. The proposed legislation would punish discrimination and hate crimes against LGBT and disabled people as well as misogyny. Both the church and extreme right politicians have opposed the measure, claiming it will suppress opinion and religious beliefs. The president of the Italian Bishops Conference has urged lawmakers to change the law rather than abolish it, although the group has warned in the past that the new bill could ‘stifle’ those who hold more traditional views.