Czech Companies Call on Government to Legalise Same-Sex Marriage
In the Czech Republic, 66 companies have written an open letter to Prime Minister Petr Fiala calling for the legalisation of same-sex marriage in the country so that their employees can exist without discrimination and prejudice.
This was reported by Euractive.
"As employers who collectively employ tens of thousands of people in the Czech Republic, we support and welcome their diversity. We share the desire of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people to live and work in the Czech Republic without discrimination and prejudice",- the letter reads.
In total, 66 Czech and international companies have signed the letter, including well-known brands such as Amazon, Ikea, Microsoft, IBM, as well as local banks, representatives of the automotive industry, and even breweries.
In their appeal, the companies argue that the introduction of same-sex marriages would attract new employees to the country. According to the companies, discrimination against the LGBT community annually costs the Czech economy significant losses—approximately 37.6 billion Czech crowns (over 1.5 billion euros).
In turn, Petr Fiala thanked the companies, emphasizing that this is an "additional push on this issue."
"I thank these companies for providing us with an additional push on this issue. I have never been afraid to discuss how to improve the lives of people in same-sex partnerships and promote legislation that would give them more rights. However, I believe that deputies should make decisions on moral-ethical issues during free voting based on their own convictions," Fiala responded to the letter.
It is worth reminding that the current President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, expressed his support for same-sex marriages during a conference dedicated to the legalization of same-sex marriages earlier this year.
"In fact, this is not about a revolution, but only about fair legal frameworks for couples and families that already exist and are part of our society",- said the Czech President.
The bill for same-sex marriages was first discussed as early as 2016. In 2018, a draft law was submitted to the Czech Parliament but was not approved. Currently, the discussion about the legalization of same-sex marriages in the Czech Republic has once again reached an impasse.