Lucie Zachariášová: We will be here until equal marriage is a reality

What do you think is a traditional family? And who really threatens it the most?

I'm not sure if the term "traditional family" ever really existed – or if it is even useful today. It is often invoked by those who do not themselves follow any "traditional model". Families have always come in many forms, some consisting of a mum, dad and children, others with just one parent, and others with a rainbow. But the bottom line is this: they all deserve respect and support – from society and from the state. The biggest threat to any family is not its composition, but disrespect, neglect and disregard.

What value does the institution of marriage represent for you personally?

Marriage for me means love, trust, mutual support and security. These are values that are important for any relationship – whether it is between a man and a woman, two women or two men.

Why is it important to call same-sex unions "marriages"?

Because otherwise we keep dividing people, families and their relationships into two categories. One group of people can enter into marriage, a union that has deep meaning in our society and support in the law. We all know what marriage means, even our grandmothers and grandfathers understand and perceive this institution. The second group of people, who differ only in the sex of the person they have fallen in love with, are not allowed to enter into marriage. Yet they experience their love, commitment and desire for a future together in exactly the same way as everyone else. There is no reason to make such distinctions between people. It's not fair and it's undignified.

After many conversations with politicians, you managed to convince some of them to support Marriage for All Couples. Could you name what prevented them from doing so before meeting you?

Changing your mind is not a matter of one meeting, it is a process. But we have seen many people go from rejecting equal marriage to supporting it. Everyone was persuaded by something different, but it was essential to show concrete stories of real people. Stories of families where both partners cannot be the legal parents of the children they are raising together – and how this affects those children in particular. The stories of grandparents who, because of lengthy political debates, may never see the wedding of their grandchildren. Or the stories of parents who don't understand why their gay and lesbian children don't have the same rights as their siblings.

The Partnership Act came in effect on January 1, 2025. What is the legislation and what has changed for same-sex couples?

As a new institution designed exclusively for same-sex couples, the Partnership is the result of almost eight years of public and political debate on equal marriage. After the registered partnership, which has existed in the Czech Republic since 2006, civil partnership represents another, and unfortunately unsuccessful, intermediate step on the road to marriage for all couples. The Partnership has given same-sex couples some new rights and obligations, but they are still not able to adopt children together. They can only 'adopt' their partner's child, in a lengthy and often undignified process during which they have to prove that they are good parents to their own children, whom they care for and who see them as parents themselves.

rehearsal of Ordinary Detective Comedy, Husa na provázku Theatre
Photo: Jakub Šnajdr