Media Reporting and Reference Guide on LGBT Issues

Hate speech is also regulated by the Electronic <strong>Media</strong> Act (NN 153/2009, 84/2011, 94/2013,
136/2013): “Audio <strong>and</strong> / or audiovisual media services are not allowed to encourage, favour
the encouragement <strong>and</strong> spread hatred or discrimination on grounds of (...), gender identity,
expression or sexual orientation, (...). “(Electronic <strong>Media</strong> Act, Art. 12, para. 2).
The <strong>Media</strong> Act (NN 153/09, 84/11, 94/13, 136/13) states that “It shall be prohibited to
transmit programme contents in the media which incite or glorify ethnic, racial, religious,
gender or other inequality or inequality on the basis of sexual orientation, as well as
ideological <strong>and</strong> state creations on the basis of such foundations, <strong>and</strong> to provoke ethnic,
racial, religious, gender or other animosity or intolerance, animosity or intolerance on the
basis of sexual orientation, to incite violence <strong>and</strong> war.” (The <strong>Media</strong> Act, art. 3, para. 4).
The Act on the Life Partnership of Persons of the Same Sex (NN 92/14) was adopted in
2014 <strong>and</strong> same-sex families were recognized <strong>and</strong> equalized in the rights <strong>and</strong> obligations of
the marital spouses. The law is discriminatory in terms of adopting children, as life partners
are denied access to adoption. However, it is possible to obtain parental rights for a partner
who is not a legal parent of the child through the guardian partner status.
Gender Equality Act (NN 82/08, 69/17) prohibits discrimination on grounds of sexual
orientation, especially in the marketing industry <strong>and</strong> in the media.
The Medical Assistance Act (NN 86/12) states that the right to medically assisted
insemination is for women, who are married, live in an extramarital community or without
a partner, but only as a form of infertility treatment. This law does not specifically mention
life partners, but the The Act on the Life Partnership of Persons of the Same Sex prohibits
discrimination against life partners regarding the obligations, rights or benefits related to
health insurance <strong>and</strong> health care. For this reason, a woman who is in a life partnership
<strong>and</strong> has been diagnosed with infertility can exercise the right to a medically assisted
insemination. Before the adoption of the The Act on the Life Partnership of Persons of the
Same Sex, this was not the case.
The change of the name change is governed by the Personal Name Act (NN 118/12, 70/17)
<strong>and</strong> every person can <strong>and</strong> may change their personal name.
The rights of trans persons in Croatia are regulated by the Ordinance on the manner of
collecting medical documentation <strong>and</strong> establishing conditions <strong>and</strong> assumptions for gender
change or life in another gender identity (NN 132/14).
The rights of intersex persons are in no way legally protected.
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