Slovakia’s new constitutional amendment curtailing LGBTQ+ rights sparks human rights concerns 

Slovakia has sparked outrage at home and abroad after its parliament approved sweeping constitutional changes that roll back LGBTQ+ rights, drawing comparisons with policies in Hungary and Russia and prompting warnings of a direct clash with the European Union.

Last Friday, Slovakia’s parliament approved an amendment that restricts LGBTQ+ rights, including recognizing only male and female as legal sexes and making adoption by same-sex couples nearly impossible, sparking human rights concerns, according to the Associated Press. The measures, passed by a narrow majority, define sex as binary, ban same-sex adoption, outlaw surrogacy, and assert that Slovak law takes precedence over EU rulings on matters of “national identity.” Since then, Iniciatíva Inakosť, the country’s leading LGBTQ+ advocacy group, has received over 100 calls and emails from concerned supporters.

LGBTQ+ campaigners described the day of the vote as a “dark day” for the country, warning that the ban on legal gender recognition attacks the lives of transgender and intersex people, according to The Guardian. Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, condemned the amendment as “devastating news” and a sign of a broader rollback of democracy and rule of law under Prime Minister Robert Fico’s government.

LGBTQ Nation reported that Fico celebrated the amendment as a “great dam against progressivism,” casting it as a defence of so-called “traditional values.” Despite his coalition holding only 78 seats in the 150-member National Council, the amendment passed with the support of 12 opposition MPs – an act denounced as a betrayal by former prime minister Igor Matovič.

All three outlets highlighted growing fears that the move is less about gender or family policy and more about consolidating political power. Legal experts say the constitutional changes may set Slovakia on a collision course with the EU, while rights advocates warn the amendments will worsen conditions for LGBTQ+ people at a time when public acceptance in Slovak society is, paradoxically, on the rise.