SAME-SEX MARRIAGE IN CZECHIA: PETITION SIGNED BY 70 000 PEOPLE COULD HELP LEGALIZE IT
Credits: Johana Němečková / Jsme fér
While some people think that same-sex marriages would lead to the collapse of Western civilization, others consider the absence of marriage for gay people as discriminatory. In May the Czech movement Jsme fér (We are fair in English) announced that they collected more than 70 000 signatures for its petition about marriage equality. Now they have to discuss it in Parliament. However, it is not certain that this petition will help legalize gay marriage in Czechia.
It has been one year and one month since the Czech campaign called Jsme fér, part of the Koalice za manželství (Coalition for Marriage), started.
"We think it is only fair for everyone without exception to enter into marriage and we asked the public whether they agree with us. We do not want to talk about tolerance or rights, but about values that our society recognizes. Fairness should be a priority,“ says Aleš Rumpel from Koalice za manželství. The coalition is constituted of Amnesty International and several associations, which are dedicated to the protection of the rights of sexual minorities.
The campaign started in April last year with a goal of 50 000 signatures, which is the same amount of signatures that is required for the presidential candidacy in the Czech Republic. The petition ended on the 1st of May, in Czechia known as a day of love, with more than 70 000 signatures.
According to Jsme fér the main idea of the project is that love is universal. When two people love each other, they should have a possibility to get married. Since 2006 in the Czech Republic gay people have a possibility to enter into a civil union, known in Czechia as a registered partnership.
Until this day, this is their only option how to formalize their relationship. That is what the leaders of Jsme fér want to change since they believe everybody should have the same rights.
"Now it's in the hands of deputies in the Chamber of Deputies. We talk with politicians across the political spectrum, they know what we're fighting for, many of them want to be fair with us and support us," adds Klára Kubíčková, PR manager for Jsme fér.
On the other hand, people against same-sex marriage are afraid of ‘the breakdown of traditional values’, ‘depreciation of marriage’ and often do not see any point of making a new law or changing the current one.
“It’s not about privileges, it’s about having the same rights”
Gay people are bothered by the fact they do not get to have a real wedding, just registration. However important for them is also to have the same rights as opposite-sex couples do when they decide to formalize their relationship.
Heterosexual couples can get married in every city hall across Czechia, whereas gays and lesbians can only register at 14 places. In contrast to marriage, registration does not need any witnesses. They are not spouses after the registration, they are registered partners.
“What bothers me is that mother of my girlfriend is legally not my mother-in-law. She is basically a strange person to me in a legal way. Maybe it sounds funny to someone, but it is important to me because it just doesn’t feel right. I’m so happy that I’m in registered partnership with my ‘partner’, nevertheless I hope, she’ll be my wife in the future,” says Jana, who is in a registered partnership.
Many opponents say that registered partnership involves the same rights and duties as the marriage. However between those two commitments are more than a hundred differences.
“We are not entitled to a widow’s pension there is no settlement of property during the possible breakdown of the relationship, the adoption law does not recognize registered partners and many other issues,” explains Petr, who would like to marry his boyfriend. “It’s not about privileges, as many people think, it’s about having the same rights,” he adds.
Petr talking about disadvantages of registered partnership.