Slovenia made history on Tuesday, Oct 4, by becoming the first country in Eastern Europe to equalize its marriage and adoption rules for same-sex couples after the modification was approved by the country’s parliament.
The ruling is made as Slovenia’s neighboring countries enact new stringent anti-LGBTQ+ laws.
The leader of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, has overseen the outlawing of same-sex adoption, the end of legal gender recognition for trans people, and the redefinition of marriage in the Hungarian constitution as the union of one man and one woman. Last year, Hungary passed a so-called “LGBTQ+ propaganda law” that bans the discussion of LGBTQ+ people in media, school materials, and advertisements aimed at minors.
By creating a hodgepodge of “LGBTQ-free zones,” Polish President Andrzej Duda has insured that his country is among the most homophobic in Europe, despite passing its own “LGBTQ+ propaganda law” earlier this year.
The landmark decision was a response to a ruling by Slovenia’s highest court in July that the country’s anti-discrimination constitution was violated by Slovenia’s ban on same-sex marriage and adoption.
Just one month after the far-left Golob Cabinet replaced the far-right Slovenian Democratic Party as the country’s new government following the 2022 presidential election, the court’s judges decided 6-3 on both matters (SDS).
According to EuroNews, the court stated at the time that its decision “does not lessen the value of conventional marriage as a union of a man and a woman, nor does it affect the circumstances under which persons of the opposite sex marry.”
The amendment was approved by the Slovenian parliament with 48 votes in favor, 29 votes against, and one abstention. The SDS was the main source of opposition.
When introducing the amendment, state secretary Simon Maljevac stated: “With these changes, we are recognizing the rights of same-sex couples that they should have had for a long time.”
