Even as the country’s first female prime minister is set to take office, many are nervous that Italy’s Giorgia Meloni’s ascension to power as the most far-right-leaning leader since WWII could mean detrimental legislative changes for the country’s LGBTQ+ community. In the past few weeks, Meloni has repeatedly denied suggestions she might roll back legislation on abortion or LGBTQ+ rights, but still reaffirms her opposition to adoptions and surrogacy for same-sex couples. In the past, Meloni has been relatively open about her opposition to LGBTQ+ rights in general. "Yes to natural families, no to the LGBT lobby, yes to sexual identity, no to gender ideology, yes to the culture of life, no to the abyss of death," she said in Spain in June. Within the 27-member European Union, when it comes to legal protections for LGBTQ+ people, Italy ranks close to the bottom at 23, according to advocacy group ILGA-Europe, and it is the only major country in Western Europe that has not legalised same-sex marriage. "Even if she doesn't introduce any anti-LGBT laws, she will not speed up what we're trying to do to improve the current situation," says Roberto Muzzetta, a board member at Italy's biggest LGBTQ+ group, Arcigay.