Country Overview
Slovak Republic
At a glance
Same-sex Relations for Men Legal Throughout the Country?
Same-sex Relations for Women Legal Throughout the Country?
Legal Gender Recognition Possible?
LGBTI Orgs Able to Register?
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In the Slovak Republic, or Slovakia, LGBTIQ people face many legal and social issues. Discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity is banned but occurs regularly. In 2022, the Ministry of Health published new guidelines for the standards of care of trans people, which would have made it possible for trans people to change their legal gender markers without surgical intervention. However, due to conservative backlash, these guidelines were suspended, so the process for changing legal gender markers is now largely inaccessible. Same-sex couples cannot be legally recognized, nonconsensual medical interventions on intersex children are legal, and conversion practices are not banned. In a 2019 survey of people in Slovakia, a majority said they did not believe LGB people should have the same rights as others. Hate speech by politicians is also a recurring issue.
Global Impact
Sub-Saharan Africa
Outright supports LGBTIQ organizations in Sub-Saharan Africa and works with mainstream human rights organizations to respect human rights and influence positive changes in laws, policies, attitudes and beliefs that cause discrimination against LGBTIQ people.
United Nations
Our work at the United Nations centers around advocating for the advancement of the rights of LGBTIQ people.
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Outright International partners with activists to fight for an end to human rights violations based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression in Europe and Central Asia, where most of our work involves emergency responses to harassment, discrimination, violence, and most recently, Russia’s brutal and expanded invasion of Ukraine.
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Our work in the Americas continues to build on the fundamental and positive transformation of human rights protections in recent years. We partner with groups in the Caribbean that focus on ending gender-based violence and eradicating discrimination against trans people.
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