Gay nativity doll upset

A stunt involving gay dolls placed in a Roman nativity scene caused a predictable uproar.

A daring move by the Italian "Rose in the Fist" party - placing dolls of gay couples in a nativity scene in Rome’s parliament - caused a predictable uproar.

Parliamentarians Bruno Mellano and Donatella Poretti, who were responsible for the stunt, told reporters that they included the dolls to prove that gays and lesbians have been around since Jesus’ time, and that it is time for Italy to grant legal rights to same-sex couples.

The dolls were carefully placed among the shepherds, only to be quickly removed by pages.

The conservative party called for Mellano and Poretti to be censured displaying "a vulgar and unacceptable double attack against both [an Italian] institution and a religious symbol."

Union of Christian Democrats, called it a "pure attack against the religion practiced by the majority of Italians".

Some members of Prime Minister Romano Prodi's leftist coalition, including the Communist Party which supports LGBT civil rights, criticised the extreme move which they suggested could backfire and reverse the gay cause.

Last month Italy’s House of Justice committee began to consider gay union legislation. They are said to be considering various proposals, combining the into a single bill.

Italy PM Romano Prodi pledged to pass a civil union bill as part of this year’s election campaign, despite inevitable rage from the Vatican.

The Rose in the Fist, founded in 2005, include members of the Italian Democratic Socialists and the Italian Radicals.