Slovenia became the first central European country to grant its citizens marriage equality yesterday, as its parliament passed legislation that will allow same-sex couples to marry and adopt. This followed a July ruling by the Slovenian Constitutional Court that said that same-sex couples should be able to be legally married and adopt children. After strong criticism from the country’s conservative leaders, 29 legislators voted against it and one abstained, allowing the legislation to pass with 48 votes in favor.
Earlier this year, the Slovenian Constitutional Court ruled that the country’s previous family code discriminated against LGBT couples by defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman, and only allowing heterosexual couples to adopt. With its decision, Slovenia’s Constitutional Court gave the parliament six months to change the law.
“With these changes, we simply state that differences should not give way to discrimination,” State Secretary Simon Maljevac said when he introduced the amendment. Adding that they now “recognize the rights of same-sex couples that they should have had a long time ago.”
The move also makes Slovenia the first post-communist country to legalise same-sex marriage and same-sex adoption.