A Catholic priest has blocked an Italian transgender parliamentarian from being a bridesmaid at a relative's wedding, drawing protest from her political party.Vladimir Luxuria, who was born male but wears women's clothing and prefers to be called "she", said she had been asked by her cousin to be the bridesmaid at her Catholic wedding, to be held at an ancient sanctuary in Foggia, southern Italy.
But Father Francesco, the sanctuary's pastor, said the request was rejected because Ms Luxuria, a former drag queen and defender of gay rights, "does not believe in family values, even from a political point of view".
"His personal choices are another matter, I have already explained this to him," the priest said by phone.
Ms Luxuria's Communist Refoundation Party called the ban "illegal and racist".
"Once again, the Church shows its discriminatory and fundamentalist face," it said in a statement.
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