The Czech Republic may well become the first post-communist to legalize Gay Marriage

The government announced Friday its support for a draft amendment to the Civil Code to allow same-sex marriage.

The cabinet at the same time called in a statement to a « debate at the level of the whole society » on this « sensitive subject ». Proposed by a group of 46 deputies representing six of all nine parliamentary parties, including the ANO movement of Prime Minister Andrej Babis and the Social Democratic Party CSSD, the text will soon be discussed in the Chamber of Deputies. The project was supported by no one from the conservative right-wing party ODS, nor from the far-right SPD, nor from the Christian Democrats KDU-CSL.

If adopted, the text would make the Czech Republic the first post-communist country to have such a legal standard.

« The fundamental principle of this amendment is to provide same-sex couples and their children the same dignity and protection of family life that spouses and their children already enjoy, » reads a report presented by MP for ANO, Radka Maxova.

« We have the opportunity to become a first post-communist country allowing marriage to gay and lesbian couples, » said the activist Lucie Zachariasova of the NGO « We are fair », quoted by the agency CTK.

The Czech Republic authorized homosexuals in 2006 to live in a registered partnership, but marriage is still banned so far. In the event of its final adoption by the Chamber of Deputies, the amendment of the Civil Code authorizing same-sex marriages would replace the law on registered partnership.

The communist countries are trying to become more cautious and more decisive for the LGBTI community, to accept marriages and the PMA for their society, like the Czech Republic.

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Gabriel MIHAI

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