This thesis aims to present the overall development of the rights and protection of same-sex families in Croatia. The necessity to write this thesis is evident through the fact that same-sex families around the world are still widely criminalized and discriminated against. Croatia represents a country where the establishment of same-sex families as registered partnerships, which are equal to married or cohabiting unions, is legally allowed, but there is still persistent legal inequality in the matter of access to certain rights, services and institutes such as adoption and fostering, and, in general, the rights arising from parenting. In addition, Croatian society has still not fully accepted the reality of the existence of same-sex families, which leads to them often being victims of discrimination, stigma and hate speech. The European Union is striving to improve the position of same-sex families within the member countries, but also throughout the European continent. Its standards for the protection of human rights in general, including the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community and thus same-sex families, are international in nature and binding. The thesis indicates that the adoption of the standards and the acquis of the European Union, as well as the entire anti-discrimination policy framework, affected the Croatian political structure and opportunities as well as advocacy networks, which ultimately led to the improved legal and social position of same-sex families in Croatia.