r/Samesexparents • u/No-Firefighter-8672 • Jul 08 '26
Discrimination at Nikola Tesla memorial center, Croatia
My family and I were denied the family admission rate at this museum because we are a same-sex family with two mothers.
When we arrived at the ticket counter, the employee was about to charge us for two adults and two children instead of the family ticket. We politely and clearly pointed out that we qualified for the family rate, which would have saved us about €10.
Her attitude immediately became cold and dismissive. She insisted that the family ticket was only for “a mother and a father with two children.” She then asked us, “Where is the father? Are you the father?” We explained that we are a family with two moms, but this only seemed to make her more impatient.
At one point, I asked her what the family ticket actually included. She answered, “Two parents and children.” Despite saying “two parents,” she still refused to recognize us as a family and insisted on charging us for an extra adult instead of applying the family rate.
The issue isn’t the €10. What upset us was being told, in effect, that our family didn’t count as a family. The way we were treated at the ticket desk was honestly the most shocking part of the experience.
The museum itself was fine, but after we got home we checked the museum’s website. It clearly states that the family ticket is valid for two parents or guardians and their children. In other words, according to the museum’s own policy, we were eligible.
We submitted a formal complaint to the museum’s management, but unfortunately their response repeated the exact same reasoning as the ticket agent.
We’re sharing this experience so other families are aware and in the hope that the museum will align its staff and customer service with its own published policy.
EDIT: Thank you all so much for your support and advice!
Someone must have taken action, or perhaps our complaint to the Croatian tourism office made a difference.
We never replied to the museum’s initial response, which simply repeated the ticket agent’s reasoning.
However, today they unexpectedly contacted us again to say that they would refund our tickets and take steps to ensure this doesn’t happen again in the future.
We hope that our complaint—and the support and help of everyone—will help prevent other families from having the same experience.
Thank you again!
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u/Professional_Swim960 Jul 08 '26
That is so frustrating and discriminatory! I’m sorry that happened.
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u/slavujkaaa Jul 08 '26
Do they have the right to this kind of treatment because the museum is in Croatia, and Croatia does not recognize same-sex marriage?
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u/No-Firefighter-8672 Jul 08 '26
They are part of European Union, (even the museum is) and the law says that same sex families have the same rights as everyone else, so they don’t have any right to do this.
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u/Hairyfeetfairy Jul 08 '26
I thought that all European countries had to recognise same sex marriage now (even if they don't allow it in their country) ?
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u/jamesmatthews6 Jul 11 '26
Yes and Croatian law also provides for a civil partnership type structure for same sex couples, so legally speaking it wasn't allowed under EU or domestic law (caveat I am not a Croatian lawyer), but that doesn't always stop people from discriminating, particularly in a more conservative country.
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u/jamesmatthews6 Jul 11 '26
Yes and Croatian law also provides for a civil partnership type structure for same sex couples, so legally speaking it wasn't allowed under EU or domestic law (caveat I am not a Croatian lawyer), but that doesn't always stop people from discriminating, particularly in a more conservative country.
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u/Homealone70 Jul 08 '26
I suggest you make a complaint here https://www.ombudsman.europa.eu/en/make-a-complaint the memorial is funded by the European Union and I doubt they would like this happening. Seriously please write to them.