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2015 Slovak same-sex marriage referendum

A referendum on banning same-sex marriage was held in Slovakia on 7 February 2015.[1][2] Critics claimed the referendum was pushed by religious and conservative organisations,[3] aiming to block gay couples from gaining more rights.[4]

The referendum was not valid as the turnout did not reach the required threshold of 50%, with only 21.4% of citizens casting a vote.[5]

Background Edit

In June 2014, the Slovakia National Council amended the country's constitution to specifically deny same-sex couples the legal protections associated with marriage.[6][7]

The referendum was initiated after the conservative church backed group Alliance for Family gathered 400,000 signatures calling for a vote on the law.[1][8] The Conference of Slovak Bishops, which organises anti-abortion and anti-euthanasia rallies overwhelmingly supported the move.[8][9]

Questions Edit

Voters were asked questions on three issues:[10]

  • Do you agree that only a bond between one man and one woman can be called marriage?
  • Do you agree that same-sex couples or groups should not be allowed to adopt and raise children?
  • Do you agree that schools cannot require children to participate in education pertaining to sexual behaviour or euthanasia if the children or their parents don’t agree?[11]

A fourth question on registered partners was rejected by the Constitutional Court.[1]

In order for the proposal to be approved, voter turnout needed to be at least 50%.[1]

Campaign Edit

Supporters of the referendum campaigned predominantly in churches,[12] with the Conference of Slovak Bishops raising funds for the campaign.[13] 62% of Slovaks identify as Catholics, and although less than 40 percent of those attend mass regularly, Reuters describes Slovakia as "one of the most religious countries in Europe on the surface".[4]

The vote, which cost more than €6.3 million to run, led to conservative groups spending around €110,000 on advertisements.[14] The Christian conservative activism platform CitizenGo, run by Brian S. Brown, the American founder of the National Organization for Marriage, supported the referendum.[15]

Slovakia's LGBT groups, which are smaller and less organised than their opponents, encouraged people not to vote at all, for fear that "no" voters might push turnout over 50%.[11][16][17]

Reactions Edit

Former Slovak Prime Minister Iveta Radičová said that if the referendum passes, "It will not improve the standing of families and marriages; and there won’t be any more children, either."[18] She criticised the referendum as being pushed by people "want to cover up the real problems" in Slovakia, like "balancing of work responsibilities with childcare, unemployment," financial insecurity and domestic violence. Radičová described the movement as motivated by "the fear of the new, the unknown, and the other" and condemned opposition to sex education, pointing out that it is proven to reduce sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancies, and delay sexual experimentation.

The libertarian party Freedom and Solidarity criticised the referendum,[8] as did the EU parliament's Socialists and Democrats.[3]

Boris Dittrich criticised the involvement of American Evangelical donors like Alliance Defending Freedom in determining the social agenda in Eastern European democracies, when they had lost on same-sex marriage in America.[19] Amnesty International has condemned the country's discrimination against LGBT people[20][21][22] and the international media, including The Economist, critiqued the political process in the country.[23] Gay rights groups criticised the referendum, saying "unemployment, social problems and alcoholism" would not be solved by a vote to ban gay marriages or adoptions.[8] International critics criticised the ruling social democratic party for pandering to populist religious homophobia, and critiqued the ballot as a waste of millions of euros,[24] and a distraction from Slovakia's economic woes,[25] and "genuine problems of Slovak public policy."[26]

Pope Francis supported the referendum, blessing the opponents of gay rights, stating “I greet the pilgrims from Slovakia and, through them, I wish to express my appreciation to the entire Slovak church, encouraging everyone to continue their efforts in defense of the family, the vital cell of society.”[27][28][29]

A group of theologians issued a position paper claiming that the referendum is touching on ethical questions and those should be solved by discussion rather than by voting. The authors of the position Ondrej Prostredník, František Ábel and Igor Kišš, all from the Lutheran Theological Faculty of Comenius University in Bratislava also claimed that several times in history the way of shortcuts and authoritarian decisions in favor of Christian values proved to be bad and damaged the very cause of Christ’s Gospel. They also criticized the referendum as an immoral attempt to shift the responsibility for the crisis of family values in the Slovak society to homosexuals. The position paper as joined by 48 theologians and intellectuals from different churches and sectors of the society.[30]

Another EU nation, Croatia, banned same-sex marriages in a constitutional referendum on 1 December 2013. Turnout in Croatia was also less than 50%, but its constitution does not invalidate a referendum based on turnout.

Opinion polls Edit

A Eurobarometer poll on in 2006 found that 19% of Slovaks supported same-sex marriage and 81% opposed, while 12% supported and 84% opposed LGBT adoption.[31] A European Social Survey in 2010 found that 42% of Slovaks believe that “gay men and lesbians should be free to live their own lives as they wish.”[32]

Polls suggested that only 35% of the population intended to vote in the referendum, with 85% of respondents supporting the first motion banning same-sex marriage, 78% supporting a ban on LGBT adoption, and 70% supporting the third question on sex education.[33] Opposition towards the referendum questions was higher amongst students, single people, those under 35, supporters of the libertarian party Freedom and Solidarity, those with openly gay family members or colleagues, people who live in more progressive town environments, and atheists and people with weaker religious beliefs.

Results Edit

The referendum was deemed invalid due to low turnout, with just 21.4% of eligible voters casting votes,[34] far short of the 50% required for the results to be legally binding.

Question For Against Invalid/
blank
Total Registered
voters
Turnout
Votes % Votes %
Question 1 – marriage ban 892,719 94.50 39,088 4.13 12,867 944,674 4,411,529 21.41%
Question 2 – adoption ban 873,224 92.43 52,389 5.54 19,061
Question 3 – sex education choice 853,241 90.32 69,349 7.34 22,084
Source: Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic

See also Edit

References Edit

  1. ^ a b c d . ABC News. Nov 27, 2014. Archived from the original on December 9, 2014.
  2. ^ . AP Bigstory. 27 Nov 2014. Archived from the original on 6 February 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  3. ^ a b "Socialists and Democrats of EU parliament slam Slovak referendum". Slovak Spectator. 6 Feb 2015.
  4. ^ a b Jan Lopatka (5 Feb 2015). "Slovak conservatives seek to bar gay marriage in referendum". Reuters.com.
  5. ^ Leos Rousek (7 Feb 2015). "Slovakia Referendum on Gay-Adoption Ban Fails". Wall Street Journal.
  6. ^ Julie Diesher (5 Jun 2014). "Slovakia amends constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman". Jurist Paper Chase.
  7. ^ John Boyd (6 Jun 2014). "Amnesty International Condemns Anti-Gay Constitutional Change". thedaily.sk.
  8. ^ a b c d "Slovakia holds referendum on gay marriage". Deutsche Welle. 6 Feb 2015.
  9. ^ "Group seeks gay marriage referendum". Slovak Spectator. 17 Mar 2014.
  10. ^ President announces the referendum on "protection of the family" The Slovak Spectator, 3 January 2015
  11. ^ a b "Slovakia's anti-gay activists: Uncivil society". The Economist. 5 Jan 2015.
  12. ^ Frank Markovic (30 Jan 2015). "Slovakia's anti-gay referendum". Visegrad Insight. Visegrád Group.
  13. ^ J Lester Feder. "Pope Endorses Referendum Denying Marriage And Adoption Rights To Same-Sex Couples". Buzzfeed.
    As quoted by Trudy Ring (5 Feb 2015). "Pope Has Kind Words for Backers of Anti-Equality Measures in Slovakia". The Advocate.
  14. ^ Radka Minarechová (26 Jan 2015). "Turnout key to referendum result". Slovak Spectator.
  15. ^ Miranda Blue (28 Jan 2015). "Brian Brown's CitizenGo Promoting Anti-LGBT Referendum In Slovakia". Right Wing Watch. People for the American Way.
  16. ^ John Boyd (19 Jan 2015). "Anti-Gay Referendum Stirring Sentiment". TheDaily.sk.
  17. ^ Henry Foy (6 Feb 2015). "Activists trust to apathy as Slovakia faces vote to ban gay marriage". Ft.com blog.
  18. ^ Monika Tódová (6 Feb 2015). "Iveta Radičová: I worry that all we will be left with is filth". Visegrad Revue.
  19. ^ Boris Dittrich (6 Feb 2015). "Dispatches: Unholy Alliance for Slovakia's Referendum Risks Rights". Human Rights Watch Dispatches.
  20. ^ "Slovakia: Referendum on marriage panders to homophobic discrimination". Amnesty International News. Amnesty International. 2 Feb 2015.
  21. ^ "Slovakia: Amnesty International condemns discriminatory constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union between a man and a woman". Amnesty International. 5 June 2015.
  22. ^ Wendy Zeldin (10 Jun 2014). "Slovak Republic: Marriage Defined as Between One Man and One Woman". Law.gov. Library of Congress.
  23. ^ "No Freedom Till We're Equal, Slovakia's Referendum". TheDaily.sk. 23 Jan 2015.
  24. ^ Beata Balogová (3 Nov 2014). "Bigoted balloting". Slovak Spectator.
  25. ^ Dave Stancel. "The Dirty Politics behind Slovakia's Ban on Same-Sex Marriage". Students For Liberty. Archived from the original on 2015-01-27.
  26. ^ Dalibor Roháč (25 Dec 2014). "Slovakia's curious cultural war". Visegrad Revue.
    As quoted in DALIBOR ROHAC (5 Feb 2015). "The Unlikely Fight over Gay Rights in the Heart of Europe". Cato Institute blog.
  27. ^ Trudy Ring (5 Feb 2015). "Pope Has Kind Words for Backers of Anti-Equality Measures in Slovakia". The Advocate.
  28. ^ KAREL JANICEK. "In value clash with West, Slovakia votes on gay rights curb". AP Bigstory. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2015-02-09. Retrieved 2015-02-06.
  29. ^ J Lester Feder. "Pope Endorses Referendum Denying Marriage And Adoption Rights To Same-Sex Couples". Buzzfeed.
  30. ^ Stanovisko teológov k referendu 7. 2. 2015 Archived 2015-07-10 at archive.today Jetotak, 2 February 2015
  31. ^ "EUROBAROMETER 66 FIRST RESULTS" (PDF). TNS. European Commission. December 2006. p. 80. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  32. ^ "Eastern and Western Europe divided over gay marriage, homosexuality".
  33. ^ "Slovaks are most tolerant of sexual education question". Slovak Spectator. 3 Feb 2015.
  34. ^ "Referendum invalid, turnout low". The Slovak Spectator. 8 Feb 2015.

2015, slovak, same, marriage, referendum, help, expand, this, article, with, text, translated, from, corresponding, article, slovak, january, 2015, click, show, important, translation, instructions, view, machine, translated, version, slovak, article, machine,. You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Slovak January 2015 Click show for important translation instructions View a machine translated version of the Slovak article Machine translation like DeepL or Google Translate is a useful starting point for translations but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate rather than simply copy pasting machine translated text into the English Wikipedia Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low quality If possible verify the text with references provided in the foreign language article You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing Slovak Wikipedia article at sk Referendum na Slovensku v roku 2015 see its history for attribution You should also add the template Translated sk Referendum na Slovensku v roku 2015 to the talk page For more guidance see Wikipedia Translation A referendum on banning same sex marriage was held in Slovakia on 7 February 2015 1 2 Critics claimed the referendum was pushed by religious and conservative organisations 3 aiming to block gay couples from gaining more rights 4 The referendum was not valid as the turnout did not reach the required threshold of 50 with only 21 4 of citizens casting a vote 5 Contents 1 Background 2 Questions 3 Campaign 4 Reactions 5 Opinion polls 6 Results 7 See also 8 ReferencesBackground EditIn June 2014 the Slovakia National Council amended the country s constitution to specifically deny same sex couples the legal protections associated with marriage 6 7 The referendum was initiated after the conservative church backed group Alliance for Family gathered 400 000 signatures calling for a vote on the law 1 8 The Conference of Slovak Bishops which organises anti abortion and anti euthanasia rallies overwhelmingly supported the move 8 9 Questions EditVoters were asked questions on three issues 10 Do you agree that only a bond between one man and one woman can be called marriage Do you agree that same sex couples or groups should not be allowed to adopt and raise children Do you agree that schools cannot require children to participate in education pertaining to sexual behaviour or euthanasia if the children or their parents don t agree 11 A fourth question on registered partners was rejected by the Constitutional Court 1 In order for the proposal to be approved voter turnout needed to be at least 50 1 Campaign EditSupporters of the referendum campaigned predominantly in churches 12 with the Conference of Slovak Bishops raising funds for the campaign 13 62 of Slovaks identify as Catholics and although less than 40 percent of those attend mass regularly Reuters describes Slovakia as one of the most religious countries in Europe on the surface 4 The vote which cost more than 6 3 million to run led to conservative groups spending around 110 000 on advertisements 14 The Christian conservative activism platform CitizenGo run by Brian S Brown the American founder of the National Organization for Marriage supported the referendum 15 Slovakia s LGBT groups which are smaller and less organised than their opponents encouraged people not to vote at all for fear that no voters might push turnout over 50 11 16 17 Reactions EditFormer Slovak Prime Minister Iveta Radicova said that if the referendum passes It will not improve the standing of families and marriages and there won t be any more children either 18 She criticised the referendum as being pushed by people want to cover up the real problems in Slovakia like balancing of work responsibilities with childcare unemployment financial insecurity and domestic violence Radicova described the movement as motivated by the fear of the new the unknown and the other and condemned opposition to sex education pointing out that it is proven to reduce sexually transmitted diseases unwanted pregnancies and delay sexual experimentation The libertarian party Freedom and Solidarity criticised the referendum 8 as did the EU parliament s Socialists and Democrats 3 Boris Dittrich criticised the involvement of American Evangelical donors like Alliance Defending Freedom in determining the social agenda in Eastern European democracies when they had lost on same sex marriage in America 19 Amnesty International has condemned the country s discrimination against LGBT people 20 21 22 and the international media including The Economist critiqued the political process in the country 23 Gay rights groups criticised the referendum saying unemployment social problems and alcoholism would not be solved by a vote to ban gay marriages or adoptions 8 International critics criticised the ruling social democratic party for pandering to populist religious homophobia and critiqued the ballot as a waste of millions of euros 24 and a distraction from Slovakia s economic woes 25 and genuine problems of Slovak public policy 26 Pope Francis supported the referendum blessing the opponents of gay rights stating I greet the pilgrims from Slovakia and through them I wish to express my appreciation to the entire Slovak church encouraging everyone to continue their efforts in defense of the family the vital cell of society 27 28 29 A group of theologians issued a position paper claiming that the referendum is touching on ethical questions and those should be solved by discussion rather than by voting The authors of the position Ondrej Prostrednik Frantisek Abel and Igor Kiss all from the Lutheran Theological Faculty of Comenius University in Bratislava also claimed that several times in history the way of shortcuts and authoritarian decisions in favor of Christian values proved to be bad and damaged the very cause of Christ s Gospel They also criticized the referendum as an immoral attempt to shift the responsibility for the crisis of family values in the Slovak society to homosexuals The position paper as joined by 48 theologians and intellectuals from different churches and sectors of the society 30 Another EU nation Croatia banned same sex marriages in a constitutional referendum on 1 December 2013 Turnout in Croatia was also less than 50 but its constitution does not invalidate a referendum based on turnout Opinion polls EditA Eurobarometer poll on in 2006 found that 19 of Slovaks supported same sex marriage and 81 opposed while 12 supported and 84 opposed LGBT adoption 31 A European Social Survey in 2010 found that 42 of Slovaks believe that gay men and lesbians should be free to live their own lives as they wish 32 Polls suggested that only 35 of the population intended to vote in the referendum with 85 of respondents supporting the first motion banning same sex marriage 78 supporting a ban on LGBT adoption and 70 supporting the third question on sex education 33 Opposition towards the referendum questions was higher amongst students single people those under 35 supporters of the libertarian party Freedom and Solidarity those with openly gay family members or colleagues people who live in more progressive town environments and atheists and people with weaker religious beliefs Results EditThe referendum was deemed invalid due to low turnout with just 21 4 of eligible voters casting votes 34 far short of the 50 required for the results to be legally binding Question For Against Invalid blank Total Registeredvoters TurnoutVotes Votes Question 1 marriage ban 892 719 94 50 39 088 4 13 12 867 944 674 4 411 529 21 41 Question 2 adoption ban 873 224 92 43 52 389 5 54 19 061Question 3 sex education choice 853 241 90 32 69 349 7 34 22 084Source Statistical Office of the Slovak RepublicSee also EditRecognition of same sex unions in Slovakia LGBT rights in SlovakiaReferences Edit a b c d Slovakia to Hold Referendum on Same Sex Marriage ABC News Nov 27 2014 Archived from the original on December 9 2014 Slovakia to hold referendum on same sex marriage AP Bigstory 27 Nov 2014 Archived from the original on 6 February 2015 Retrieved 26 January 2015 a b Socialists and Democrats of EU parliament slam Slovak referendum Slovak Spectator 6 Feb 2015 a b Jan Lopatka 5 Feb 2015 Slovak conservatives seek to bar gay marriage in referendum Reuters com Leos Rousek 7 Feb 2015 Slovakia Referendum on Gay Adoption Ban Fails Wall Street Journal Julie Diesher 5 Jun 2014 Slovakia amends constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman Jurist Paper Chase John Boyd 6 Jun 2014 Amnesty International Condemns Anti Gay Constitutional Change thedaily sk a b c d Slovakia holds referendum on gay marriage Deutsche Welle 6 Feb 2015 Group seeks gay marriage referendum Slovak Spectator 17 Mar 2014 President announces the referendum on protection of the family The Slovak Spectator 3 January 2015 a b Slovakia s anti gay activists Uncivil society The Economist 5 Jan 2015 Frank Markovic 30 Jan 2015 Slovakia s anti gay referendum Visegrad Insight Visegrad Group J Lester Feder Pope Endorses Referendum Denying Marriage And Adoption Rights To Same Sex Couples Buzzfeed As quoted by Trudy Ring 5 Feb 2015 Pope Has Kind Words for Backers of Anti Equality Measures in Slovakia The Advocate Radka Minarechova 26 Jan 2015 Turnout key to referendum result Slovak Spectator Miranda Blue 28 Jan 2015 Brian Brown s CitizenGo Promoting Anti LGBT Referendum In Slovakia Right Wing Watch People for the American Way John Boyd 19 Jan 2015 Anti Gay Referendum Stirring Sentiment TheDaily sk Henry Foy 6 Feb 2015 Activists trust to apathy as Slovakia faces vote to ban gay marriage Ft com blog Monika Todova 6 Feb 2015 Iveta Radicova I worry that all we will be left with is filth Visegrad Revue Boris Dittrich 6 Feb 2015 Dispatches Unholy Alliance for Slovakia s Referendum Risks Rights Human Rights Watch Dispatches Slovakia Referendum on marriage panders to homophobic discrimination Amnesty International News Amnesty International 2 Feb 2015 Slovakia Amnesty International condemns discriminatory constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union between a man and a woman Amnesty International 5 June 2015 Wendy Zeldin 10 Jun 2014 Slovak Republic Marriage Defined as Between One Man and One Woman Law gov Library of Congress No Freedom Till We re Equal Slovakia s Referendum TheDaily sk 23 Jan 2015 Beata Balogova 3 Nov 2014 Bigoted balloting Slovak Spectator Dave Stancel The Dirty Politics behind Slovakia s Ban on Same Sex Marriage Students For Liberty Archived from the original on 2015 01 27 Dalibor Rohac 25 Dec 2014 Slovakia s curious cultural war Visegrad Revue As quoted in DALIBOR ROHAC 5 Feb 2015 The Unlikely Fight over Gay Rights in the Heart of Europe Cato Institute blog Trudy Ring 5 Feb 2015 Pope Has Kind Words for Backers of Anti Equality Measures in Slovakia The Advocate KAREL JANICEK In value clash with West Slovakia votes on gay rights curb AP Bigstory Associated Press Archived from the original on 2015 02 09 Retrieved 2015 02 06 J Lester Feder Pope Endorses Referendum Denying Marriage And Adoption Rights To Same Sex Couples Buzzfeed Stanovisko teologov k referendu 7 2 2015 Archived 2015 07 10 at archive today Jetotak 2 February 2015 EUROBAROMETER 66 FIRST RESULTS PDF TNS European Commission December 2006 p 80 Retrieved 6 August 2014 Eastern and Western Europe divided over gay marriage homosexuality Slovaks are most tolerant of sexual education question Slovak Spectator 3 Feb 2015 Referendum invalid turnout low The Slovak Spectator 8 Feb 2015 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 2015 Slovak same sex marriage referendum amp oldid 1163307940, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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