A court in Croatia has ruled in favour of same-sex adoption being legalised, meaning all couples who wish to adopt can now access the assessment required to begin the process. According to LGBTQ+ advocacy group Rainbow Families (as cited by Reuters), the Administrative Court in Zagreb began reevaluating the country’s adoption laws in 2016 after same-sex couple, Mladen Kozic and Ivo Šegota, sued the state due to being barred from adopting.
Now, five years later, the court has ruled in favour of Kozic and Šegota. Rainbow Families associate president, Daniel Martinovic, praised the court’s decision, saying: “We are very happy about this verdict, not only for Mladen and Ivo, but for all other couples who are thinking about adopting and who want to expand their family in this way…Citizens of the Republic of Croatia must not be discriminated against because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity and everyone must have equal rights.”
However, he believes there is still more to be done to protect and support LGBTQ+ people in Croatia, saying: “We are still witnessing discrimination…Our struggle does not end.” Although same-sex couples can legally enter civil unions, marriage is still not legal, and only certain forms of discrimination have been outlawed. LGBTQ+ conversion therapy also continues to be legal in the country.
