BUCHAREST– A referendum that sought to finally outlaw same-sex marriage was sparked by the mayor of a little Italian town casually mentioning in an interview that she had voted in favor of it, and it now threatens to be looming large in the upcoming elections.
The issue was that Elena Lasconi was a progressive Union to Save Romania ( USR ), the only parliamentary party in Romania to explicitly oppose an election in 2018 that sought to redefine marriage as an union between men and women and restrict LGBT rights, rather than being an extreme populist or traditionalist. Next time, she was also vying for a desk in the European Parliament.
Due to a small attendance, the election ultimately failed, but five years on LGBT freedom have stalled and continue to be contentious and controversial in the nation of Eastern Europe.
Despite a German courtroom ruling against Romania, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu stated on November 23 that Romania was” no ready” to offer more freedom to same-sex people.
Getting to Citizens ‘ Doubts
Romania is currently one of the European Union’s most stringent nations when it comes to LGBT relationships. In addition to forbidding same-sex marriages and legal partnerships, it also does not understand similar sexes that have been registered in different nations.
The other Union nations that forbid same-sex legal partnerships are Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Slovakia.
The populist AUR party, which currently ranks third behind Ciolacu’s Social Democrats ( PSD ), as well as the fundamentalist wing of the mainstream Romanian parties supported by the powerful Orthodox Church, play on concerns about granting more gay rights. Critics claim that this makes more moderate lawmakers reluctant to advocate for more freedom.
The debate is so polarizing that Lasconi’s individual daughter Oana Vegas officially disowned her family in response to her remarks and declared she would route her passion into politics, escalating the conflict. Eventually, she apologized for being exceedingly psychological, but the harm had already been done. Both girls were contacted by RFE/RL for remark.
“It was unprecedented in Romania to see a row played out publicly involving the immediate family,” said Buhuceanu Florin, the advocacy director of gay rights group Accept in an interview with RFE/RL in late November. “She basically said that her mother wasn’t fit to hold a seat in the European Parliament.”
The explosion was embarrassing for the USR, Romania’s just liberal party, which has lost support due to fighting and poor communication.
An USR senator who asked for privacy told RFE/RL’s Romanian Service,” It is unacceptable that a flagship applicant for European Parliament elections …is promoting, even unintentionally, Kremin propaganda.”
The lawmaker claimed that one of Romania’s most corrupt governments organized the vote with the intention of driving us out of Europe.
Italian culture is not prepared, they say.
In order to replace the current language in the law that is not gender certain, Liviu Dragnea, the then-chairman of the Social Democrats who opposed European-style changes, called the election in 2018. The election was also signed by the traditional Alliance for the Family and the Orthodox Church.
Dragnea is no longer involved in politics after being sentenced to three and a half years in prison for fraud in May 2019.
However, some people hail Lasconi, 51, as a hero for standing up for what they see as conventional principles, and there have even been calls for Campulung Muscel’s president to seek the presidency in 2024. Her daughter is criticized by social conservatives for openly criticizing her family.
The issue of LGBT rights gained momentum after Lasconi was forced by her group to resign as a candidate for the European Parliament, but not in the community’s favor.
When he declared on November 23 that Romania was not prepared to uphold the rights of same-sex people and that his government would defy a European Court of Human Rights (ECHR ) ruling, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu dashed hope for greater understanding.
” Italian culture is not currently prepared for a choice.” It is not a top priority for me, and… He stated to Romanian radio station Europa FM,” I do n’t think Romania is ready. He was responding to Foreign Minister Luminita Odobescu, who had written to the legislature and the government time previously pleading with them to preserve the judge’s ruling.
On May 23, the ECHR ruled that Romania had failed to uphold the rights of same-sex people by refusing to acknowledge their interactions.
The Strasbourg-based court’s decision came in response to legal complaints made by 21 same-sex couples before the ECHR in 2019 and 2020, alleging that they had been denied certain rights granted to engaged couples by Italian rules. More than 20 years after sexuality was decriminalized, the decision might have resulted in stronger legal protections for the LGBT community.
Politicians are not permitted to use the phrase” The nation is n’t ready.” According to Buhuceanu, whose name was on the legal issue at the ECHR,” that is n’t a constitutional term.” ” The state has a responsibility to prepare individuals. He asserted that officials had pave the way for complete equality.
Years of Relapsing
In 2001, as Romania got ready to join the EU, sexuality was decriminalized. International stress led to the release of the final prisoner in 1998.
At first, it made development. Human Rights Watch listed it as one of five nations that had “exemplary progress in combating right crimes based on sexual orientation or gender identity” in 2006.
However, there has been a relapse in recent years. The nation has made a number of attempts to limit LGBT rights, such as an effort to eliminate gender-identity experiments in colleges and schools.
Romania was ranked 26th out of 27 EU nations for protecting LGBT rights in 2023 by the campaigning team ILGA- Europe, behind all associate states with the exception of Poland.
According to survey data, the powerful Orthodox Church, to which more than 85 % of People belong, has frequently spoken out against legal alliances.
It stated in a press release in May that” legal agreement is the harmful source ( as seen in different cultures ) of the breakdown of family significance and socially early authority.” The first step in making union between people of the same sex legal is the legal partnership.
Nonetheless, activists claim that in light of this, society has become more accepting of same-sex connections.
“Romanian society understood the need for LGBT…. There is greater visibility, a better understanding…of the needs of LGBT families, and support is growing for them,” Presada Florina, the executive director of Accept, told RFE/RL in November. “This year’s Bucharest Pride drew 25,000 people and was the biggest ever…. The theme was visible love, visible families…. It was well received, went well and people feel more and more confident.”
However, legislative approval committees have not yet approved three legislative proposals from 2016 to 2019 that would have changed legal unions to include same-sex people. Another proposal was put off after it made it to the parliament’s ground last year.
On December 5, Buhuceanu declared that 2024 was a misplaced time for us and that nothing would advance.
LGBT rights organizations like Accept hold officials accountable for the stagnation. For fear of social and spiritual rejection and discrimination, some gays have only come out to close friends.
Presada said to RFE/RL,” It’s become a contentious issue because it is not treated similarly at the political level.” It is essential that political events take action. It’s the ideal moment.
Just 43 percent of People were in favor of constitutional recognition of legal marriage for same-sex people, according to a survey conducted by Accept in 2021, even though 71 percent said it would not have any impact on their lives. However, 68 % of respondents believe that all families, including those of the same sex, should be protected by the law.
Election-related problems, according to Cristian Parvulescu, dean of the Bucharest-based National School of Political Studies and Public Administration, are likely to be raised. He attributed Ciolacu’s most current remark to” a great relationship with the Orthodox Church.” He referred to his statement about disregarding a judge order as “absurd,” though.
He is typically ambiguous about this issue ( LGBT), but the party’s ultra-conservative members give him advice. In an interview with RFE/RL on November 24, Parvulescu added that the Social Democrats are politically conservative rather than a communist party.
Only Hypocrisy, really!
Buhuceanu wished that more individuals did admit their sexual orientation in public.
” There are still some common tones. Many of the 21 people who filed lawsuits in the ECHR, he said, want anonymity.
He declared,” To speak up, we need real people with real reports.” ” Everyone should be heard.”
It is simpler said than done. Gabriel, a partially out queer man in his 50s, stated that he was frequently upbeat. The older era is more concerned with money and the cost of meat than the younger generation, he claimed.
Nevertheless, he claimed that there is a lot of hypocrisy. Some of the people who criticize gays are also queer. They engage in it but refuse to acknowledge it. He claimed that AUR’s anti-gay remarks were motivated by the fact that” They are paid by Moscow and people know that.” Simply put, it is hypocrisy.
Buhuceanu thinks that Lasconi’s remarks caused such a stir because even if the election was unsuccessful, the problems would still be festering.
” The referendum’s defeat is a scar that is available.” Simply put, its followers were in horror. Lawmakers and the Romanian Orthodox Church were both shocked. She touched the bruise, which is still there and has a throbbing wound.
