Lady Gaga: Italy's Failure to Pass LGBTQ+ Rights Bill 'Total Disaster'

Lady Gaga has called the failure of an LGBTQ+ rights bill in Italy "a total disaster."

Italy's Senate last month blocked debate on a bill that would have amended the country's hate-crimes and antidiscrimination law to cover LGBTQ+ people, ending its chance of passing during this session of Parliament. Parliament's lower house, the Chamber of Deputies, had already approved the legislation.

The bisexual actress and singer appeared Sunday on Che Tempo Che Fa, an Italian talk show, to promote her new film, House of Gucci. Host Fabio Fazio showed a clip of activists protesting the failure of the legislation and singing her song "Born That Way."

"I just want to say something to the LGBTQ+ community in Italy -- that you are the bravest, you are the kindest, you are an inspiration. For this to happen is a total disaster," she said in response to the clip. "You deserve to be protected at all costs, like every human being on earth. I will always write music for you, but more importantly, I will speak up for you."

Italy's bill drew opposition from conservative politicians and from the Vatican. In a fairly rare move into secular politics, the Roman Catholic Church expressed deep reservations about the bill over the summer. Vatican officials said they worried that limiting the priesthood to men, refusing to marry same-sex couples, and declining to teach gender theory would be considered discriminatory and criminal if the bill became law. And far-right parties in the Senate contended the bill would interfere with free speech and cause "homosexual propaganda" to be taught in schools.

The measure was backed by Italy's Democratic Party and named for Alessandro Zan, a gay member of the Chamber of Deputies. Zan thanked Lady Gaga in a tweet. "Yes, Lady Gaga, the Italian LGBTQ+ community is strong and courageous," he wrote, as translated by NBC News and Reuters. "More than a society still steeped in hatred, more than senators hiding behind a secret vote. We will not give up until this battle is won."