Two Albanian LGBT organisations have called for changes to be made to the Family Code to provide legal recognition for same-sex partners.
Following the birth of two children to a same-sex family at the end of December 2020, they noted that current laws do not allow this family to be properly registered as such before the authorities. This, they said, means they are unable to enjoy the same rights as other families in Albania.
The alliance Against LGBTI Discrimination and Pro-LGBT have made a number of recommendations to the authorities regarding the legal recognition of LGBTI couples and families.
Recommendations include specifying that the makeup of a family cannot be discriminated against by law. Furthermore, they broaden the scope of those who can adopt by adding the phrase “who meet the criteria set by this act regarding the adoptive application, without any discrimination, who wish to adopt Albanian children.”
They also ask that wording such as “between a man and a woman living as a couple” to “between two persons living as a couple”, and “child of the spouse” to be replaced with “child of the spouse or cohabiting partner”.
Currently, same-sex marriage or civil partnership is not legal in Albania and such couples are unable to adopt.
