Slovak National Party pushes anti-LGBTI+ school bill, echoing Hungarian controversy
Members of the ruling Slovak National Party (SNS) have bypassed Education Minister Tomáš Drucker (Hlas-SD/NI) to introduce an anti-LGBTI+ bill aimed at schools, despite the European Commission currently taking Hungary to court over similar legislation.
Four SNS MPs, led by party leader Andrej Danko, submitted the proposed amendment to the Education Act to parliament that seeks to establish a clear definition of what they call ‘non-traditional sexual orientation’, ban its ‘promotion’ and the dissemination of related ideas in schools. Schools found to be in breach of the law could be fined up to €30,000.
“Slovak society is founded on traditional values that define marriage as the exclusive union between a man and a woman, which is also explicitly stated in Article 41(1) of the Slovak Constitution,” the explanatory memorandum says.
“In the context of these values, the bill seeks to protect children and young people from influences that might conflict with constitutional principles,” it concludes.
But the pro-LGBT NGO Initiative Inakosť refutes this claim.
“Our constitutional court has already stated in the past that sexual orientation cannot be grounds for unequal treatment, and I believe it would do so again, even before European courts weigh in,” the Slovak NGO’s director, Martin Macko, told Euractiv Slovakia.
SNS covering its own issues
The bill, according to Macko, would not solve any of the problems facing the Slovak education system and would instead exacerbate existing problems, such as the bullying of LGBTI+ youth and the radicalisation of young people.
“We view the SNS’s amendment to the Education Act as an attempt to boost their visibility on social media and distract from issues within their ministries,” added Macko, sharing the Education Ministry’s stance.
The SNS also proposed the law without consulting the Minister of Education, who described their decision as a “breach of the coalition agreement”.
“Minister Drucker appreciates the interest his colleagues from SNS show in education but believes they perceive enough problems within their own ministries,” the Education Ministry said.
Two of the three SNS-led ministries are at the centre of political controversy. The Culture Ministry sparked public protests and put 1,500 cultural workers on strike alert after dismissing several directors of cultural institutions and reportedly sacking 40% of the ministry’s staff.
Meanwhile, the Environment Ministry stands out as the worst ministry in terms of meeting the milestones of Slovakia’s recovery plan, Euractiv Slovakia has found.
Similar laws in Hungary and Bulgaria
If enacted, the law proposed by SNS would closely resemble a section of Hungary’s 2021 anti-LGBTI+ law.
However, the law, which prohibits minors from being exposed to content that promotes so-called “divergence from self-identity corresponding to sex at birth, sex change or homosexuality”, is expected to be reviewed by the EU Court following the European Commission’s challenge.
Similar legislation banning the “promotion of LGBT+” in schools was passed by the Bulgarian parliament in August this year after it was proposed by Bulgaria’s pro-Russian Revival party.
(Natália Silenská | Euractiv.sk)
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