Gay couple sues Slovakia for refusing to recognize marriage: "Not how the rule of law should work"https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/10/gay-couple-sues-slovakia-for-refusing-to-recognize-marriage-not-how-the-rule-of-law-should-work/ 🔗Molly Sprayregen (13 Oct 2026)
A gay couple in Slovakia is suing the government over its refusal to recognize their marriage as legal.
Ivan Novotný, 31, and Metod Špaček, 51, wed in Austria in 2020, and under a 2025 ruling by the European Union's highest court, Slovakia must register the marriage.
Slovakia does not grant LGBTQ+ people the right to marry, but the November 2025 ruling by the European Court of Justice says all nations in the European Union (EU) must recognize lawful same-sex marriages that were performed in other EU countries.
The court declared that EU citizens have a right to "a normal family life" regardless of borders. "When they create a family life in a host member state," they said, "in particular by virtue of marriage, they must have the certainty to be able to pursue that family life upon returning to their member state of origin."
EU citizens have the right to freedom of movement between the different nations within the EU. The court suggested that this right, as well as the right to "respect for private and family life," would be breached if one country could refuse to acknowledge a lawful marriage from another country.
Novotný told The Guardian that he and Špaček do not feel threatened in their day-to-day lives, but he emphasized they shouldn't have to rely on people being kind to ensure they are treated equally.----------------------
@Sarah B
