We had our 6th annual Japan IFED picnic at Shinjuku Gyoen Park in Tokyo on April 30. More than 50 people got together to celebrate. The event was organized jointly by Rainbow Family Japan and Kotomap, an LGBT group whose members are interested in founding a family. We spread a huge tarp under the trees and enjoyed the meals each family had prepared. The kids had lots of fun climbing trees and running around, and the adults had a great time chatting about their family Tokyo - Japan matters and sharing problems. The event , was also reported on by the media. Rainbow families have been getting more attention from LGBT activists and social media because our group has a strong message and societal impact when speaking about LGBT rights. Many LGBT activists in Japan are pushing to legalize same-sex marriage by 2020, the year of the Tokyo Olympics.

Florence, Italy In Italy, the association Rete Genitori Rainbow (Rainbow Parents Network) organized several events across the Famiglie Arcobaleno, the Italian association of homosexual parents, celebrated IFED country. The aim this year was to (International Family Equality Day) on May 7, 2017. The event coincided with the 9th edi- celebrate both International Family tion of its annual Festa delle Famiglie. During this important event, we celebrated all types Equality Day and International Day of families – those made by a mother and a father, by two mothers, by two fathers or by a Against Homophobia, Transphobia single parent, among others. This year the IFED celebration took place simultaneously in the and Biphobia in order to raise Province of Barletta--Trani and the cities of , , , , , policymakers’ awareness of the , Terni, and . The main goal was to multiply celebrations all around Italy in Milan - Italy rights of rainbow families and order to share with the public the stories of our families and to listen to each others’. In LGBT+ people. this context, this year’s slogan was “Every Family Is a Revolution,” a revolution that starts Between May 7 and May 17, association members and friends met up in Turin, Verona, from the bottom up, a revolution that includes all Italians, because the world of families is Barletta and Florence for an amazing agenda. They had the chance to join many different in continuous change and development. The main message of May 7 was that every family initiatives: documentaries, debates, games, music shows, book readings and laboratories is special and unique in its own way, and we made clear that the most important concern for every kind of family. is the well-being of all children – which cannot be achieved without the legal recognition of their rights and their loves. The events concluded on May 17 in Milan, where the association took part in a meeting to tell its own stories – a very special occasion to explain the emotions, fears, difficulties and Like every year, the IFED event was a celebration of games, tales and music and provided successes of LGBT people with children from previous heterosexual relationships. fun for all children and families.

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