Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico has announced that he aims to amend the national constitution so that it recognises only two genders: male and female. He added that Slovakia should have the final say in matters such as these, even if they defy European Union laws.
It is time “to stop this nonsense, so that we behave like normal, healthy-minded people,” the PM said at a press conference in Bratislava on Monday, January 27th, where he presented his proposals.
The PM said Slovakia needs to make certain amendments to the constitution so that progressive ideologies can be curbed. According to him, we live in a time when people claim to change their gender identity on a daily basis, meaning that in response, the heritage that the country has preserved for centuries must be enshrined in the constitution.
Elaborating on his proposals, he declared that there would only be two recognised genders. Gender reassignment would only be possible in exceptional, justified cases, and only couples who qualify as parents in the constitutional sense would be able to adopt children—meaning gay couples couldn’t, as the constitution currently only recognises marriage as a relationship between a man and a woman.
Fico noted that during his inauguration last week, incoming U.S. President Donald Trump also declared that there are only two sexes—male and female.
The Slovakian prime minister’s words come as leftist-liberal governments all across Europe make it easier for people to ‘change their gender’ in law (if not in reality).
Germany last year adopted the ‘self-determination act’ allowing anyone to legally change their name and gender with a simple application form. Teenagers aged 14 can make the change themselves if parents agree. Those aged 12 and 13 may also solicit a legal ‘sex change’ with a court’s approval.
A similar bill was passed in Spain a year earlier, enabling adults as well as 16 and 17-year-olds to legally change their gender via a routine legal submission. Children as young as twelve can also do so with judicial authorisation.
Fico, a left-wing nationalist politician, has been a target of the liberal EU elites for espousing a sovereigntist foreign policy, opposing military aid for Ukraine, illegal migration and LGBT ideology. His determination to change the constitution, and to prioritise Slovak law over EU laws on sociocultural matters will certainly draw the ire of the Brussels institutions.
The EU has already attacked conservative Hungary over its decision to ban the promotion of LGBT propaganda and gender transition in schools. Brussels has also criticised EU-candidate member Georgia for a similar law. EU member state Bulgaria could become a target too, as it has banned the promotion of gender identity in the education system.
Fico said he is aware that an amendment to the constitution requires a three-fifths majority, something that his government doesn’t have, but he is sure that there are voices in the opposition who, despite their differences of opinion with the cabinet, would be willing to move forward on this issue. He specifically mentioned the Christian Democratic Movement, whose leader, Milan Majerský, is also preparing to put forward a similar initiative in the parliament.