ROMANIA: Gay activists march in Romania's capital as far-right and religious groups stage anti-gay demonstrations

Record ID: 277217

  • Title: ROMANIA: Gay activists march in Romania's capital as far-right and religious groups stage anti-gay demonstrations
  • Date: 26th May 2009
  • Summary: PROTESTERS MARCHING IN THE STREET PROTESTERS WITH A BANNER READING: ''ROMANIA IS NOT SODOM''
  • Embargoed: 10th June 2009 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Romania
  • Country: Romania
  • Topics: Domestic Politics,Religion
  • Reuters ID: LVA7UOAMYURD91SJQC4GP0217DVL
  • Story Text: A series of demonstrations in Bucharest on the weekend provided a snapshot of opinion over gay rights in Romania.
    About three hundred people attended a gay pride march on Saturday (May 23), with participants coming from several countries to support Romania's gay community.
    Activists say the march is important for those fighting for their constitutional rights.
    "In this society there are minority groups which cannot enjoy their constitutional rights," said Florin Buhuceanu, the president of Romania's Accept organisation, which campaigns on human rights issues for sexual minorities.
    "One of the best way to convince them to start enjoying these rights is to push them to express themselves. This is one of the reasons for this demonstration," he added.
    British MEP Michael Cashman travelled to Bucharest to march and show his support.
    "Your fight is my fight and EU will support you every day, every year, until we achieve equality," he said.
    "We also deserve a place in this city, in this country. I don't think we are bad people," said one of the marchers.
    But gay Romanians are fighting a battle against public opinion.
    A Gallup poll in 2008, showed 68 percent of people as being opposed to homosexuality. 36 percent said homosexual relationships should be sanctioned, with the prohibiting of some rights. 56 percent said homosexual events should not be allowed, and 36 percent did not want such events to be shown on television.
    A New Right Association march also held on Saturday saw about 200 people take to the streets.
    They carried signs reading "Romania is not Sodom" and "God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve."
    "It is not possible to be a Christian and at the same time to support sexual minorities," said the President of the Association, Tudor Ionescu.
    "The homosexual lobby is trying, through its low behaviour, to transform abnormality into normality," he added.
    The day before, about 300 people attended a rally for "normality" arranged by the Orthodox Forum and the Romanian Family Alliance.
    "I'm here to express what I believe in: a marriage is a free act between a man and a woman. I do understand other people's opinions, but I still I think my point of view is a natural one, that's what God created for us humans," said one of the protesters.
    In 2001, under pressure from the European council, the Romanian government abolished laws which made homosexuality illegal. But Accept says sexual minorities are still discriminated against with same sex couples unable to enter civil partnerships giving them the same rights as married couples.
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