The Comparison of the Rights, Obligations, and Legal Statuses of Same-sex and Opposite-sex Couples in the Republic of Slovenia

Applicable legislation regulates four forms of partnerships, i.e. marriage, cohabitation and formal and non-formal civil unions. The rights of homosexual persons primarily relate to one’s personal situation affecting other areas of law as well. With the adoption of the Civil Union Act (ZPZ) that more holistically regulates the legal status of homosexual people in Slovenia, the status is moving towards the equality of homosexual and heterosexual people in terms of legal rights. Three impediments standing in the way of full equality still persist: the prohibition of the adoption of a partner’s non-biological child, the prohibition of assisted conception, and the Civil Union Act itself, regulating the same matter as the Marriage and Family Relations Act (or the Family Code replacing it) although under a different name, it being a different law, and due to one personal circumstance, the circumstance being sexual orientation. 

Key words: homosexual persons, systemic discrimination, rights, equality, civil union