Overview

• Margherita Colonnello, Padua’s social affairs assessor, hung five rainbow bows on her municipal office door to announce the Aug. 14 birth of her son, Aronne.
• She had told the Padova Pride crowd in late May she would use a rainbow bow to reject pink–blue stereotypes, a remark now circulating widely on social media.
• Centre-right figures escalated the criticism, with Matteo Salvini questioning the display, Mariastella Gelmini calling it “extremism gender,” and Rossano Sasso accusing Colonnello of instrumentalizing a newborn.
• Colonnello and partner Cosimo Cacciavillani said they were overwhelmed by hate, argued their Pride words were distorted, and stressed they did not ask their child to decide his sex but pledged lifelong support.
• Allies including PD MEP Alessandro Zan and local official Cristina Piva voiced solidarity, and there are no reports of legal or administrative action as the dispute remains a media and political confrontation.