GAY COUPLE ON HUNGER STRIKE CAMPAIGN

A gay couple is undertaking a hunger strike campaign to demand same-sex marriage rights in Italy and documenting the experience online.

Francesco Zanardi (39) and his partner Manuel Incorvaia (22), who live in Rome, are webcasting their daily lives on www.glbt-tv.it.

Zanardi was moved to take the action after he survived a severe gay-bashing on the Greek island of Mykonos last year and realised that had he died Incorvaia would have been left with no rights to his estate.

He has been living on three cappuccinos a day since the 4th of January and has lost more than eight kilograms.

“We came to a point where we wanted to protect each other. “This is not my first relationship, but for the first time I feel the need to protect my partner,” he told the GlobalPost.

The couple’s campaign has also included writing letters to parliamentarians and the creation of a Facebook group, with over 2,000 fans.

Zanardi has vowed to continue his campaign even it results in his death.