Same-sex Partnerships in the Region | Heinrich Böll Stiftung

empty!

In many countries of the region, the Law on the Protection against Discrimination was adopted and it includes protection against discrimination based on sexual orientation. However, the LGBT+ community remains subject to multiple discrimination in many areas, including the area of family relations. Lately, the work on defining same-sex partnerships and legal framework in the region has been underway in hopes that the rights of the LGBT+ community will finally be defined, bringing it one step closer to freedom and equality.

However, the attempts at adopting different legal frameworks for regulating same-sex partnerships and marriage were more successful in some countries than the others. Even though until just a few years ago, the idea of legally regulated same-sex partnerships was unthinkable in the Balkans, and today we are getting closer to exercising rights and freedoms for LGBT + people, some Balkan countries still have a long way to go.

With this series of analytical articles, the Heinrich Böll Foundation wishes to tackle the process of law-making in the region and its timeline, as well as the experiences noticed by civil society organizations that shared their observations for this dossier.

empty!

Same-sex partnerships in Montenegro - love outside the system

Today’s Montenegro, has slowly started to understand and accept diversity, outside of what is traditionally seen as a “minority” - religious, national, ethnic, etc. Thus, talk about LGBT people began picking up pace slowly and quietly as early as 2002, at first within institutions of the system, under the influence of reform processes and the international community.

By John Maximillian Barac

Will you marry me? – I don’t know!

Can two people of the same sex get married in Kosovo? – The never-ending question that continues to raise dust for years on end. In principle, the right to marry and have a family is protected and guaranteed by contemporary constitutions as a fundamental right for everyone. The Constitution of Kosovo is no exception in this regard, explicitly or implicitly recognizing same-sex marriages.

By Yll Rrahmani