In February, an amendment to the Higher Education Act introduced a new provision enabling people who have changed their gender marker on official ID to obtain university diplomas reflecting their current personal data as of March. While this represents a positive step toward legal recognition, gaps in the implementing framework remain and efforts are ongoing to address these issues through engagement with higher education institutions.

In April, Jan Gregor, vice-chairman of the Alliance for Family party filed a complaint against Czech television after the company aired a Norwegian children’s series that included scenes celebrating the participation of children in Pride marches. Gregor accused the broadcaster of using public funds to promote what he described as “LGBT ideology” and called for a “fundamental review” of state funding for political non-profit organisations involved in such initiatives.

In November, the newly formed government coalition stated in its programme declaration, under Section 9 (Education), that non-profit organisations should not impose political or ideological positions within the education system. Within this framework, education — particularly education addressing LGBTI issues — has been explicitly referenced as part of this narrative.

In January, new rules governing same-sex partnerships came into effect in the Czech Republic following an amendment to the Civil Code. While the original draft aimed to introduce full marriage equality, parliament ultimately limited the reform to establishing “partnerships” rather than extending marriage rights to same-sex couples. The term “registered” was removed, and the updated legislation grants partners access to certain rights, such as joint property and survivor’s pensions. However, restrictions remain, particularly concerning adoption.

In May, Czechia joined 15 other EU member states in a declaration urging Hungary to revise legislative and

constitutional amendments adopted in March and April 2025, which could impose fines on participants and organisers of LGBTI events, authorise the use of facial recognition software at such gatherings, and potentially allow bans on them. The declaration was initiated by the Netherlands and co-signed by Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Latvia, Lithuania,

Portugal, Slovenia, and Sweden.

The programme declaration of the newly formed government coalition (See also under Education) mentions preventing funding for non-profit organisations for political activism. The proposal would also apply to non-profit organisations that seek to improve the position of LGBTI people in society, as they are often referred to as actors of political activism.

In February, the Czech government discussed, but did not adopt a formal position on a draft law regulating legal gender recognition. The bill responds to a 2023 Constitutional Court ruling that abolished the requirement of surgery or sterilisation for legal gender recognition. The proposed law would allow people over 18 to apply for legal gender recognition by making a personal declaration at a registry office, supported by medical certificates confirming their trans identity, the approval by an expert committee under the Ministry of Health, and a mandatory one-year waiting period before registration.  The bill received largely negative feedback during the comment procedure, with ministries of Education, Interior, and Health, as well as the Commissioner for Human Rights, voicing strong objections, particularly concerning regulation of hormonal treatment and its effects on reproductive rights.

In June, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled that Czechia’s legal requirement for sterilisation as a condition for legal gender recognition violates the rights of trans people. The case concerned a non-binary person who had spent more than a decade seeking legal gender recognition and a change to their personal identification number without undergoing surgery. The Court found this requirement to be a breach of the right to private

life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

In June the Czech Ministry of Health issued a new methodology allowing legal gender recognition without requiring surgery or hormonal treatment, effective from July. The methodology was developed in response to a 2023 Constitutional Court ruling which deemed the legal requirement for surgical intervention and sterilisation incompatible with human dignity. Under the new rules, a certification from a psychologist and signed informed consent will suffice for obtaining the certificate needed to update one’s gender marker at the registry office. The organisation Trans*parent, welcomed the removal of the requirement but reiterated that a self-determination model would provide the most effective and rights-respecting framework.

Following increased public attention to trans issues after the 2023 Constitutional Court decision (see also under Legal Gender Recognition), Czech Television (ČT) aired an episode of its Phenomenon of the Time series entitled “Am I a Boy or a Girl?”. The episode focused on trans issues and included perspectives from trans people, expert commentary, as well as elements reflecting public opinion.