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On March 31, 2025, the final episode of Grande Fratello season 25 aired in Italy. Fans of the show — the Italian version of the Big Brother franchise — were hoping to see 23-year-old Zeudi Di Palma take home the prize. But that wasn’t how the finale unfolded. In a dramatic turn of events, she was the first finalist to be eliminated. It was deeply disappointing for the many fans rooting for her — though not entirely surprising.

Grande Fratello is a reality TV show in which contestants live together in a house under constant surveillance, cut off from the outside world, while competing for a cash prize determined by a fan vote. While the format has been around in Italy since 2000, this particular season became a cultural flashpoint, drawing massive viewership not only within the country but also internationally. What began as just another season of reality television quickly evolved into a global phenomenon, as audiences from across the world tuned in — not only to be entertained, but to witness and debate the deeper social issues that the show unexpectedly laid bare.

Zeudi Di Palma entered the house in December 2024, two months into the season. Viewers soon knew one thing about her: Zeudi is a bisexual woman. Although she’d never publicly come out before, inside the house, her bisexuality emerged as she shared feelings and stories with other contestants. And audiences from around the world began to identify with her.

But as Zeudi gained support outside the house, she faced a different situation within it. Zeudi found herself repeatedly ostracized, overlooked, and dismissed. Other contestants made comments like, “She still hasn’t figured out her sexuality,” “It’s wrong to be like this — Adam and Eve were a man and a woman,” “You and other women with your sexuality should behave better,” and “You’re exploiting your sexuality.”

The viewers supporting Zeudi — mostly LGBT people — called out the show’s hosts and demanded that this treatment be addressed. How could such blatantly prejudicial and bigoted behavior go unanswered? The truth is, though season 25 of Grande Fratello was met with frustration internationally, it was not seen as a scandalous outrage in Italy. Rather, it reflected something deeper: a society still clinging to outdated, socially conservative, discriminatory attitudes.

To this day, same-sex marriage is not legal in Italy. In fact, Italy remains the only Western nation, outside of the city-states of Monaco, San Marino, and the Vatican, to deny its LGBT citizens full marriage rights. It wasn’t until 2016 that the Italian Parliament passed law no. 76, known as the Cirinnà law, which legally recognized civil unions between same-sex couples. But even that half-measure came with limitations: the law does not allow joint adoption or access to in vitro fertilization, meaning same-sex couples cannot adopt in Italy. It also prevents one partner from legally recognizing the biological child of the other as their own.

The situation hasn’t improved in the years since. In 2021, with support from the Vatican, the Italian Senate rejected a proposed bill that would classify violence against LGBT people as a hate crime. Some critics of the bill warned it would pave the way for "homosexual propaganda" in schools. The Vatican, citing concerns over “traditional” family values, issued a rare formal diplomatic complaint against the bill, claiming it would violate the Lateran Treaty — a bilateral agreement between the Holy See and Italy.

In 2024, Italy refused to sign a declaration to promote and implement policies supporting LGBT rights. The declaration, presented by Belgium’s Secretary of State for Gender Equality, Marie-Colline Leroy, was signed by countries including Belgium, Poland, Denmark, Cyprus, Ireland, Greece, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Malta, Estonia, Austria, Finland, Germany, Portugal, Slovenia, France, Sweden, and Spain.

Italian MP and activist Ivan Scalfarotto criticized the decision:

“Once again, [Prime Minister Giorgia] Meloni’s government didn’t miss the opportunity to show its true colors and reveal its natural alliances. A poor choice that damages Italy’s credibility on the international stage, associating our country with those where rights are routinely denied, and the rule of law is under threat.”

That same year, Italy passed a law criminalizing surrogacy and treating it as a universal crime — on par with offenses like genocide or terrorism. This means that Italian citizens, whether straight, bi, or gay, can be prosecuted even if they choose surrogacy outside of Italy. This dehumanizing move was proposed by Giorgia Meloni’s party and approved in the Senate with 84 votes in favor and 58 against.

Through all of this, the Vatican’s influence over Italian society is hard to miss. Despite being the smallest sovereign state in the world, the Vatican represents over a billion Catholics worldwide. Located in Rome, the Vatican keeps Italy at the center of global Catholicism. As the headquarters of the Catholic Church and the Pope’s residence, it has long defended the Church’s “ethical” role in Italian society. For years, the Church has justified its public presence by arguing that the majority of Italian citizens actively or passively share its views on issues like the sanctity of life from conception and the so-called “traditional family” made up of a father, a mother, and children.

According to a 2023 Pew Research survey, 78% of Italians identify as Catholic. The Church is deeply rooted in Italian history: Christianity arrived in the Italian peninsula in the earliest days of the faith, with Saint Peter and Saint Paul — who, according to tradition, were martyred in Rome — playing key roles. In the 4th century CE, Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan (313 CE), legalizing Christianity in Italy. Later, it became the official religion of the Roman Empire.

From the 5th century onward, with the fall of the Western Roman Empire (476 CE), the Catholic Church began to play not only a spiritual role but also a political and administrative one across many European territories. Starting in the Middle Ages, the popes directly governed large regions of central Italy known as the Papal States, further consolidating the Church’s power. Even though Italy has officially been a secular state since 1948, Catholicism continues to shape political and social attitudes — particularly when it comes to issues like same-sex marriage and LGBT rights.

So, what does all of this have to do with Grande Fratello and Zeudi Di Palma?

The mistreatment of Zeudi by her fellow Italian housemates, and the Italian fan vote that eliminated her before all other finalists, revealed the prejudices that are still endorsed by large parts of Italian society — a society that seems stuck in the past. And yet, Zeudi did not shrink from the moment, even under the scrutiny of national television. Even while her sexuality was constantly questioned, she proudly said, “I love women. I truly love women,” in response to repeated accusations that she was “confused” or “performing” her bisexuality. At the same time, the ordeal she was put through was clearly upsetting.

During one episode, when she was accused of exploiting her sexuality for gain, Zeudi broke down in tears. She was visibly shaken and left alone with her pain. Watching from outside, many international viewers could feel how deep and real those tears were. As a bi woman watching from Brazil, I hurt alongside her. I know what it means to be dismissed, slighted, or demeaned because of my sexuality. I know what it means not to be recognized, even when I’m shouting to be seen for who I am.

Zeudi’s mother, Maria Rosaria Marino, appeared on an afternoon talk show on Canale 5, one of Italy’s biggest television channels, to defend her daughter from the cruelty she’d been subjected to. She also posted on her Instagram account part of the letter Zeudi had written when she came out to her. The pain of a mother who stands with the LGBT community, yet was forced to witness her daughter being shunned, was clear for all to see.

The hostility Zeudi experienced on the show was balanced out by the outpouring of love from LGBT people around the world. It’s remarkable how connected people can be to strangers on the other side of the globe based on shared experiences. Among the many thank-you messages sent to Zeudi by fans, one letter (shared on Twitter) — sent by her Arab supporters (and written by Hajer) — stood out:

“From the Arab world, we send this small gift from our hearts. A drum — not only to make music but as a symbol. Because you endured so much silence with strength and so much noise with grace. Now we hope the rhythm will be yours. Your own sound, your own joy.
For many of us, being who we are or loving who we love must still remain a secret — something unsafe, unwelcomed, not tolerated. But when we look at you, at your kindness, your dignity, your courage — we learn to keep holding on to who we are, even when the world tells us not to. We didn’t always understand the words you spoke in your language — but we always understood you.”

Even though Zeudi didn’t win Grande Fratello, she won something much bigger: she won hearts. That night, people from all over the world — from Brazil, Venezuela, Tunisia, Spain, France, Portugal, England, Germany, Bulgaria, and beyond — gathered outside the studio in the middle of the night, waiting just to see her. Just to show support. To show that kindness doesn’t retreat, that dignity can be quiet — and still bring down everything built on cruelty. Just to make one thing clear:

She will never be alone again. Together, we are stronger.

Published Apr 23, 2025