The vote in the Czech parliament was a disappointment for many LGBT+ individuals in the country. Despite the expansion of the conditions for registered partnership, which the Czech Republic has had since 2006, the law still feels like a defeat for many. The proposal to legalise same-sex marriage did not garner a majority, as the larger parties in parliament were only willing to support a significantly watered-down proposal.

Partners of the same sex will now have the right to widower's pensions and can jointly purchase a house, which was not possible before. However, the adoption of a child remains out of reach; it is only allowed if one of the partners is the biological parent.

The failure of the proposal for equal marriage rights came about due to a compromise between the progressive and conservative factions of parliament, much to the frustration of LGBT+ organisations.

"Marriage for all couples was not accepted. It is a sad day for thousands of families with children who have two moms or two dads and hundreds of thousands of LGBT people. It is a sad day for justice and equality in our country," writes the Czech non-profit initiative "Jsme fér" ("We are fair"), which campaigns for full equality for LGBT+ individuals, on X.