Four in 10 LGBTQ people in Italy believe discrimination has harmed them at work, a survey by the national statistics office ISTAT and the state anti-discrimination office UNAR showed on Monday.

Among those surveyed, 41.4% said that being gay or bisexual had been a disadvantage to their career, professional recognition, or salary, especially among private sector payroll workers.

More than 6 in 10 preferred not to talk about their private lives at work to avoid revealing their sexual orientation, the survey showed.

The survey was carried out in 2022 and surveyed 1,200 people.

LGBTQ rights and gender equality in Italy have been a particularly sensitive issue since right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni came to power seven months ago and vowed to fight what she called the «LGBT lobby.»

Your government has told mayors that stop registering children of same-sex parents and the ruling majority has introduced a bill to parliament aimed at prosecuting couples who travel abroad to have a baby through a substituteMainly aimed at gay couples.