The Czech government has snubbed civil partnership ceremonies while loosening COVID restrictions on heterosexual marriages. The inequality – which may be deliberate discrimination or simply a mix-up – provides the perfect illustration of why ‘separate but equal’ laws for same-sex couples aren’t good enough.
The Czech Republic’s new coronavirus rules allow ‘traditional’ weddings with up to 15 guests. However registered partnerships – which have been legal for same-sex couples since 2006 – can only go ahead if they are ‘urgent’.
This means two distinct circumstances – either one of the partners is suffering from serious ill health and may die or one of the partners is a foreigner who may have to leave the country due to the length of their