International

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Japanese court rules marriage equality ban unconstitutional

The Fukuoka High Court of Japan has become the third of Japan’s eight high courts to rule that the government’s policy against same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. However, the court upheld a lower court ruling that dismissed three same-sex couples who had sought 1 million yen ($6,540) each for being denied their constitutional rights to gender and legal equality, individual dignity, and the pursuit of happiness.

The couples, who live in the southwestern cities of Fukuoka and Kumamoto, had their damage claims dismissed by the Fukuoka District Court in 2023 after the court ruled that the government wasn’t obliged to compensate them or legalize marriage equality legislation despite being in “state of unconstitutionality,” The Mainichi reported. 

High Court Judge Takeshi Okada ruled that civil laws forbidding same-sex marriages violate the nation’s constitution, saying, “There is no longer any reason to not legally recognize marriage between same-sex couples.” However, he noted that any change in national marriage laws must be decided by Japan’s legislature, known as the National Diet.

As the judge read his ruling, a 35-year-old plaintiff identified in the media as Kosuke couldn’t stop crying. Despite this, his 37-year-old partner Masahiro said “[the judge] understood our suffering, and I felt very reassured.”

Opponents of marriage equality in Japan have noted that Article 24 of the Japanese constitution specifically states, “Marriage shall be based only on the mutual consent of both sexes and it shall be maintained through mutual cooperation with the equal rights of husband and wife as a basis.”

However, marriage equality advocates have also pointed out that the constitution’s other articles state, “The people shall not be prevented from enjoying any of the fundamental human rights,” and, “All of the people are equal under the law and there shall be no discrimination in political, economic or social relations because of race, creed, sex, social status or family origin.”

Regardless, in October the Tokyo High Court ruled similarly, echoing another one made by the Sapporo High Court in March, which said that limiting marriage to couples of the opposite sex is “unconstitutional” and “discriminatory.” Despite the rulings, the country’s judiciary doesn’t have the power to overturn existing civil marriage codes.

Marriage equality has divided the country’s court system in opposing rulings over several years. Meanwhile, Japan’s conservative government lags behind increasingly supportive public opinion. Seventy percent of the Japanese public supports marriage equality, but it faces opposition from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

The party lost its parliamentary majority in last Sunday’s election and will likely have to compromise on more liberal policies pushed by the opposition parties, like marriage equality, the aforementioned publication noted.

Right now, Japan doesn’t offer national LGBTQ+ non-discrimination protections or same-sex marriage. As a result, LGBTQ+ people in Japan often face inequities in employment, housing, education, and health care.

More than 200 Japanese municipalities offer some form of recognition for same-sex couples. Such recognition can help same-sex couples rent apartments together, visit each other in city hospitals, and receive other services that married heterosexual couples enjoy.

Though several jurisdictions offer “partnership certificates,” they’re entirely symbolic and don’t offer federal benefits given to married heterosexual couples.

LGBTQ+ advocacy groups have pushed for a national bill that would enshrine equal civil rights and non-discrimination protections into law. However, the conservative party of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida helped defeat the effort in the lead-up to the 2021 Olympic Summer Games.

Japan remains the only country in the G7, a political and economic forum of seven of the world’s most advanced economies, that has not legalized marriage equality. Currently, the only Asian countries that have legalized same-sex marriage are Taiwan, Nepal, and Thailand.

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The 2024 International Conference on Stigma: Bridging Gaps for Black Women and Building Solidarity Between Cis and Trans Communities

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This year, The International Conference on Stigma, held November 19–21 at Howard University’s Blackburn Center, provided a critical platform for addressing stigma’s impact on marginalized communities. This year’s theme, “Stigma No More… It’s 2024!”, encouraged bold conversations about health inequities, particularly those affecting Black women.

One pivotal panel, Spilling the Tea, Part III: Real Conversations between Cis and Trans Women, brought attention to the unique challenges Black cisgender and transgender women face in accessing HIV testing and treatment. Moderated by Shelley Turner, a seasoned advocate, the panel included voices like Diamond Phillips, Chasity Nicole Petty Carter, and Sahara Rivera—experts dedicated to inclusive healthcare and community health navigation.

HIV Among Black Women: An Overlooked Crisis

Black women represent 13% of the U.S. female population but accounted for 51% of new HIV diagnoses among women in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) . Yet, public health narratives often portray HIV as primarily affecting men who have sex with men, leaving cisgender women underrepresented in prevention efforts.

Chasity Carter underscored this disconnect during the panel:

“We don’t see how Black women are being tested or catching HIV because it’s never shown. The conversation is often seen as only a gay disease, and that has to shift for cis women, queer or not, to view it as a possibility for them as well.”

The lack of representation perpetuates harmful stereotypes and deprives women of accurate information about prevention options, such as PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis). The US HIV surveillance report of 2019 estimated PrEP coverage for cisgender women at risk of HIV was just under 10% compared with 27% for gay men and 32% for transgender women.

Trans Women of Color Face Dual Stigma

 Transgender women of color experience some of the highest HIV prevalence rates globally, with 44% of Black trans women in the U.S. living with HIV according to the Human Rights Campaignand AIDSVu. Yet, as panelist Sahara Rivera, an advocate focused on specializing in HIV Prevention and Transgender Health, highlighted, systemic inequities force trans women to prioritize survival needs over testing and treatment:

“Is HIV testing the need they’re focused on when food, housing, money, and transportation are such high priorities to survive?”

And it’s a real question that many individuals have to consider daily when prioritizing certain factors in their day-to-day routines. Especially in an increasingly expensive economy. Efforts to reduce stigma and increase access to healthcare must address these intersecting social determinants or else we’re only scratching the surface of the problem. Programs like Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) and other wraparound services can mitigate these barriers but remain underfunded in many regions .

Urban vs. Rural Healthcare Disparities

Access to HIV testing and treatment often depends on geographic location. While urban centers typically offer more resources, rural areas lack adequate infrastructure, leaving many underserved. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 23% of Black Americans in rural areas report difficulty accessing healthcare, compared to 12% in urban areas .

 Sahara Rivera noted the disparity:

“There’s a BIG gap. A lot of these centers are in major cities or downtown areas, making them inaccessible for rural communities. And rural centers that do exist often don’t receive enough resources to stay functional.”

This challenge is especially pronounced in Southern states, which have some of the highest rates of new HIV diagnoses but also the lowest Medicaid expansion rates, further limiting access to care. 

Solidarity Between Cis and Trans Women

The panel emphasized the importance of solidarity between cisgender and transgender women to combat shared challenges. It’s essential in addressing HIV testing disparities, as shared experiences and mutual support can dismantle stigma and promote inclusive healthcare. Trans women, especially those of color, face unique barriers to HIV testing, including discrimination, economic instability, and a lack of culturally sensitive services. At the same time, cisgender women often underestimate their own risk, partly due to misconceptions about HIV as a “gay disease” and a lack of awareness about testing options like home tests or free screenings. For instance, many cisgender women assume annual OB-GYN visits cover comprehensive HIV testing, which is often not the case. Rivera stressed the need for more inclusive education:

“Cis women think, ‘I’ve got my tests done for the year,’ without realizing there’s more to testing and treatment than what’s covered in a typical OB-GYN visit.”

Building alliances across gender identities is crucial for dismantling stigma and fostering inclusive healthcare systems. It requires open dialogue and allyship between cis and trans communities, emphasizing shared health goals and access equity. Collaborative initiatives, such as peer-led education and community-based outreach programs, have shown success in increasing testing rates and fostering trust in healthcare systems​.

Attendees at the International Conference on Stigma

A Path Forward

To reduce HIV stigma and improve healthcare outcomes for Black women, public health efforts must center on culturally competent care, expanded access to resources, and accurate representation in media campaigns. A 2022 report from the National HIV/AIDS Strategyemphasized the importance of addressing stigma at structural and interpersonal levels to achieve the goal of ending the HIV epidemic by 2030 .

As we move out of 2024 and into 2025, the fight against HIV stigma must intensify now more than ever, ensuring that no woman—cisgender or transgender—feels invisible in this battle. By fostering solidarity and prioritizing systemic change, we can create a future where stigma no longer hinders progress and every community has equitable access to care.

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Britain bans puberty blockers for transgender minors

The United Kingdom on Wednesday indefinitely banned new prescriptions of puberty blockers to treat minors for gender dysphoria. The announcement comes a week after the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case involving state bans on puberty-suppressing medication and other forms of transition-related care for minors.

Puberty blockers are commonly prescribed to transgender children in countries throughout the Western world to delay the onset of puberty or pause it as it is transpiring. The medication is prescribed with the goal of giving children who are experiencing gender dysphoria more time to decide if they want to take more permanent steps to transition genders. Puberty resumes when the medication is no longer taken. 

The indefinite ban on the medication in Britain comes several months after an independent study commissioned by England’s National Health Service concluded that the medical evidence around transition-related care for minors is “remarkably weak” and that more research is needed. 

“Children’s healthcare must always be evidence-led,” British Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said in a press release. “The independent expert Commission on Human Medicines found that the current prescribing and care pathway for gender dysphoria and incongruence presents an unacceptable safety risk for children and young people.”

Dr. Hilary Cass, the author of the independent study, known as the “Cass report,” said she supported the ban, according to the same release. 

“Puberty blockers are powerful drugs with unproven benefits and significant risks, and that is why I recommended that they should only be prescribed following a multi-disciplinary assessment and within a research protocol,” she said.

Transgender activists around the world condemned the ban.

“I wouldn’t wish medical negligence on my worst enemy. Labour activists just wished it on my entire community,” Iris Duane, a former candidate for Britain’s Parliament, wrote on X. “To friends, family and community, many of us will survive, and we will remind them that hell is calling.”

Trans minors in the U.K. who are already taking the medication can continue doing so, according to the government, and cisgender minors who experience puberty at an abnormally early age will still be able to receive new prescriptions for the medication. 

A temporary ban on new puberty-blocker prescriptions for British minors experiencing gender dysphoria was already put in place over the summer. Wednesday’s announcement extends the ban indefinitely as the government begins clinical trials on the medications starting next year. The ban will be revisited in 2027.

The U.K. ban comes as the U.S. Supreme Court weighs the constitutionality of a Tennessee ban on gender-affirming care for minors. Tennessee is one of more than two dozen states that restrict such care in the U.S.

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Historic England have funded a queer history trail

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Historic England is being criticised for funding a queer history trail in Norfolk, prompting right-wingers to describe LGBTQ+ identities as “controversial” and claim it “creates division.”

The trail in King’s Lynn is part of 21 youth-focused projects across the country which are being funded by Historic England, the public body that looks after England’s historic environment and helps people understand and value it, with grants of up to £15,000 ($19,000).

Other projects approved for funding include LGBTQ+ history explorations in rural Staffordshire, Gateshead and Stockport, a podcast about a mosque in East London, and youngsters with additional needs looking at the social history around the oldest cable tramway in Britain.

The King’s Lynn project will “create a trail” through the town centre, focusing on its LGBTQ+ history.

“This will connect to a permanent artwork created in partnership with True’s Yard [fishing museum]. What form this artwork takes will be in the hands of the young people,” the Historic England website revealed.

However, not everyone was happy at the news. 

Neil Record, the former director of anti-woke pressure group Restore Trust, told The Telegraph: “The promotion of ‘queer’ history by publicly funded bodies is, in my view highly, inappropriate. It creates division by concentrating on this one controversial aspect of sexuality, whereas history itself is complex and subtle, not best seen through a special-interest lens like this.

“It is also worth noting that homosexuality was illegal in the UK until 1967, so sources of information on sexual preferences prior to this date will be intended to be hidden, and hence could be unreliable.”

This is not the first time public bodies focused on preserving British history have come under fire.

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In 2022, anti-LGBTQ+ members of the National Trust asked their peers to support the banning of Pride events, describing taking part as “unaccountable, divisive and an exercise in virtue signalling… [and] unbecoming in a body which should be dedicated to preserving the nation’s heritage for all and being a faithful steward of its members’ subscriptions”.

Members ignored the plea and voted to continue celebrating Pride. “The National Trust was founded for the benefit of everyone,” a spokesperson told PinkNews in 2022.

“We serve the whole of our wonderfully diverse society and we want to do that to the very best of our ability. This includes supporting our staff, volunteers and visitors to take part in cultural celebrations, including Pride, which they have been doing for many years.”

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Two out trans candidates are running for office in Nepal for the first time

Two out trans candidates are running for office in Nepal, marking the first time that out trans candidates have run for the positions. 

Honey Maharjan and Mouni Maharjan are both rallying for a role in parliament. Both Honey and Mouni, who are not related despite sharing the same surname, are in the running for the local by-elections in the country. 

Although Nepal is hailed for having some of the most progressive LGBTQ+ rightsin South Asia, there has not been an out LGBTQ+ member to hold public office since 2008. 

Honey, 44, is hoping that her candidacy “will inspire others in the queer community to participate openly in future elections”. On Sunday (1 December), she will run for the role of Mayor of Kirtipur, a Municipality on the outskirts of the capital of Kathmandu. 

Honey Maharjan (left) and Mouni Maharjan (centre) are rallying for roles in office in Kirtipur, on the outskirts of Kathmandu. (PRAKASH MATHEMA/AFP via Getty Images)

Despite legal advancements, Honey noted that those in the queer community in Nepal often face discrimination in many walks of life, including employment, healthcare, and education settings.

“Until now, not one of our community members had exercised the right to run for mayoral elections in Nepal,” Honey said.

“When I remember my past, it’s like a nightmare because I faced a lot of discrimination and abuse. Like other transgender people, I want to change this,” she added.

“We are also part of this society and can contribute to the betterment of society. This is what I want to do if I am elected.”

Meanwhile, Mouni is running for a ward chair role in the same area. Both candidates are part of the People’s Socialist Party Nepal. 

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Mouni, 29, is campaigning against LGBTQ+ discrimination, especially in the workplace and at school. She explained that she wants to create jobs for the community and implement LGBTQ+-focused classes in school to raise awareness.

She said: “I will work to add a curriculum in school courses regarding the community so that the new generation will easily accept our presence and be treated better.”

Former parliamentarian Sunil Babu Pant previously led LGBTQ+-focused campaigns, including fighting for equal marriage rights.

“Since I left the parliament [in 2013], no one has been elected. So, our voice has not been present in the lawmaking bodies and policy-making bodies,” Babu Pant told AFP.

“We now have two candidates this election. This is hugely a positive development for Nepal.”

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Police In Moscow Raid Bars Over ‘LGBT Propaganda’

Police in Moscow raided multiple bars early Saturday and arrested the director of a gay travel agency under laws criminalising “LGBT propaganda”, state media reported.

The raids came on the one year anniversary of Russia’s Supreme Court outlawing the “international LGBT movement”, paving the way for arrests and prosecutions of the country’s already repressed LGBTQ community.

Russian security forces raided at least three bars and nightclubs overnight “as part of measures to combat LGBT propaganda”, the state TASS news agency reported.

Social media videos from the Arma nightclub, the former premises of the Mutabor, showed club-goers sitting on the dancefloor while riot police walked around shouting orders.

Another video showed people being walked out of the popular Mono gay club in central Moscow with their hands above their heads, with a police van parked outside.

The interior ministry said police had also raided an unnamed nightclub on Skladochnaya Street that had been “propagandising the ideology of the banned LGBT movement”.

The Interfax news agency named the club as “Inferno Night”.

Police in the capital also arrested the director of a travel agency for gay men on suspicion of “organising tours for members of the LGBT community”.

The 48-year-old director of “Men Travel” was suspected of “preparing a trip for supporters of non-traditional sexual values to go to Egypt for the New Year holidays”, the TASS news agency reported Saturday, citing law enforcement.

The Kremlin has ramped up conservative rhetoric since launching its military assault on Ukraine almost three years ago, casting the conflict as a battleground against the West and its values.

Rights groups say the country is waging an unprecedented crackdown on LGBTQ people that has seen the owners of gay bars arrested and anyone associated with promoting LGBTQ rights prosecuted.

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High Court rules in favor of men tortured for alleged homosexuality in victory for LGBTQ+ Ugandans

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Last week, the Ugandan High Court of the Civil Division awarded $40,000 (the equivalent of 150 million Ugandan shillings) to 20 men who were tortured by police after their 2020 arrests for alleged homosexuality.

“They assert that on the morning of the said date their residence was invaded by a mob, among which were the respondents, that subjected them to all manner of torture because they were practicing homosexuality,” Justice Douglas Singiza reportedly stated. 

“The alleged actions of torture include beating, hitting, burning using a hot piece of firewood, undressing, tying, biding, conducting an anal examination, and inflicting other forms of physical, mental, and psychological violence based on the suspicion that they are homosexuals, an allegation they deny.”

The torture occurred in the village of Nkokonjeru in the Kyengera Town Council – Wakiso District. The plaintiffs worked with the Human Rights Awareness and Promotion Forum, a non-profit human rights organization. They filed a human rights complaint against the Kyengera town council, mayor Abdul Kiyimba, principal officer Philimon Woniala, and the Attorney General.

The arrests happened just after the Ugandan government implemented COVID-19 lockdowns.

“Based on the same suspicion [of homosexuality], the applicants were then arrested, taken to Nkokonjeru B police station, and charged with doing a negligent act likely to spread infection by disease,” said Singiza. He noted that there was little evidence given for violations of the country’s anti-homosexuality laws and that the investigations lacked merit.

The men were then sent to prison on March 31, 2020, “Where they were again allegedly beaten, examined, harassed, and subjected to discrimination.”

Uganda has strict laws against homosexuality. The 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Act, signed by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni in May 2023, makes what it describes as “aggravated homosexuality” — including same-sex acts that transmit HIV — punishable by the death penalty, imposes a life sentence for “recruitment, promotion and funding” of same-sex “activities,” and even bans identifying as LGBTQ+ in Uganda. It has been roundly condemned by human rights organizations, members of the U.S. House of Representatives, President Joe Biden, and even Pope Francis.

Dr. Frank Mugisha, human rights activist and executive director of Sexual Minorities Uganda, said on X of the ruling:  “A Ugandan court has awarded Shs150 million to 20 Ugandans who were tortured for alleged homosexuality during the COVID lockdown, marking a significant victory for the LGBTQ+ community. This decision builds on earlier successes, including a 2008 ruling for Victor Mukisa and a favorable judgment against Rolling Stone, a Ugandan tabloid known for its harmful publications.”

“Local leaders and politicians have now been put on notice that if you beat up people based on their sexual orientation and gender identity, you pay from your own pockets,” said Adrian Jjuuko, executive director of Uganda’s Human Rights Awareness and Promotion Forum, in a statement to Barron’s.

In addition to the brutality experienced by LGBTQ+ people, Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act has already cost the country as much as $1.6 billion in the year since it became law, according to a new report by Open for Business, a coalition of global companies dedicated to LGBTQ+ inclusion. 

“It is estimated that in the twelve months following the AHA’s passage, Uganda has made an economic loss of between $470 million and $1.6 billion,” according to the report, a sum that comprises between 0.9–3.2% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).

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The Vatican joins Saudi Arabia, Iran and Russia in blocking vital climate deal over LGBTQ+ issues

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The Vatican has blocked discussions on women’s rights at the UN climate summit, COP29, over concerns that support for them would include trans and gay women.

According to BBC News, representatives for Pope Francis, aligned with Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iran and Egypt to prevent an agreement that would have provided more support for women affected by climate change.

The 10-year-old UN action plan, Lima Work Programme on Gender, which ensures that work on climate change acknowledges support for women, including financial support, was due to be updated at the summit in Azerbaijan, which is due to end on Friday (22 November).

Several countries wanted to include a line highlighting that all women’s experiences of the impacts of climate change are different, and can be compounded by “gender, sex, age and race”.

However, the four countries and the Vatican – the world’s smallest independent state – objected, citing concerns that it could be inclusive of trans women. They also want references to gay women removed. This has reportedly stalled the deal completely.

According to LGBTQ+ rights website Equaldex, only Vatican City has fully legalised homosexuality, while in Iran and Saudi Arabia it can be punishable by death. In all but Iran, changing gender is not permitted.

Colombia’s environment minister and lead negotiator Susana Muhamad told the BBC: “It is unacceptable. The Latin American countries are working very hard, we will not allow the gender programme to drop and allow human rights to be dropped.”

And Sostina Takure, from Christian charity ACT Alliance, said she was shocked to hear the Vatican “opposed the human rights language”, adding: “My heart shattered into a million pieces.”

A spokesperson for the Vatican said: “The Holy See hopes that consensus will be reached, with respect for the sensitivities of each participating state and in a language acceptable to all.”

The current UN plan on gender and climate is due to expire at the end of this year, meaning if the countries do not come to an agreement by Friday, there will be no specific global agreement for supporting women facing the effects of climate change.

According to a report by UN Women, by 2050 almost 240 million more women and girls will face food insecurity caused by climate change, compared with 131 million more men and boys. Almost 160 million women and girls will be pushed into extreme poverty by climate change, the report added.

Charities including ActionAid said it was crucial to reach a deal because the UN estimated that women and girls currently make up 80 per cent of those displaced by climate change.

Research has shown that LGBTQ+ couples are also at greater risk in the face of climate change, in part because queer people are more likely to live in cities, coastal areas and areas with poorer infrastructure. 

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Colombia Charges Former FARC Leaders with Child Recruitment

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Colombia’s Special Jurisdiction for Peace (Juridicción Especial para la Paz, JEP) has charged six former leaders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, FARC) guerrillas with war crimes for the forced recruitment and use of 18,677 children from 1971 to 2016. In addition to forced recruitment, the charges encompass torture, killings, reproductive and sexual violence, and targeted violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) children.

The JEP, a transitional justice mechanism created by the 2016 Peace Accordsbetween the Colombian government and the FARC, is tasked with trying crimes, including crimes under international law and grave human rights violations, committed during Colombia’s armed conflict.

“Macro-case” 07 before the JEP is focused on child recruitment and involves 9,854 victims, including 8,903 who belong to five indigenous communities and 951 others, including survivors and families who continue the search for missing recruited children.

The JEP’s Chamber of Recognition of Truth charged the former FARC leaders with heinous crimes, including the mistreatment, torture, and homicide of recruited children; reproductive violence affecting recruited girls; and sexual violence against recruited boys and girls, including torture, rape, and sexual slavery.

In a historic first under a transitional justice mechanism, the chamber also charged the former leaders with violence against recruited boys and girls based on prejudice related to the children’s sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. The chamber found that several LGBT girls and boys “suffered sexual violence and abuse as a way of ‘correcting’ or ‘punishing’ them.” This unprecedented recognition of violence targeted against LGBT children sets a new standard for addressing discrimination as an element of human rights abuses in conflict.

These findings follow landmark charges related to crimes perpetrated against LGBT people during the armed conflict in “macro-case 02” which focused on abuses in Nariño state and “macro-case 03” focused on extrajudicial executions by the army. Civil society organizations like Colombia Diversa and Caribe Afirmativo, who represent victims and documented crimes during the armed conflict, have pushed to ensure the violations that LGBT people suffered during the armed conflict are recognized as part of the transitional justice process.

These indictments go a long way in addressing the impunity that has long characterized Colombia’s armed conflict. The JEP should now make sure that defendants are fairly prosecuted and, if found guilty, appropriately punished for their crimes.

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What are LGBTQ+ rights like in Romania now, and what could happen if far-right takes power?

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Romania has been described as being “in shock” today (25 November) after far-right candidate Calin Georgescu won the first round of the country’s presidential elections. 

Calin Georgescu, an independent candidate who is a NATO critic, won with a 22.95% share, beating incumbent prime minister Marcel Ciolacu of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), who had been the favourite to win the first round.

62-year old Calin Georgescu will now go on to face Elena Lasconi of the centre-right Save Romania Union party on 8 December. It’s the first time in 35 years that the left-wing PSD won’t have a second round candidate.

What is life currently like for LGBTQ+ people in Romania?

Things haven’t exactly been rosy for the LGBTQ+ community under left-wing rule, so it’s concerning to see this far-right surge in the country, which was formerly run by tyrannical communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. Could things get worse, and could queer peoples’ hard-won rights be rolled back? 

According to IGLA-Europe, LGBTQ+ Romanians currently face a great deal of inequality. 

More than 25,000 people joined this year’s Bucharest Pride in July 2024, marking the largest march to date. The Pride Festival featured 20 events and spanned over nine days.

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However, on the same day a counter-demonstration called March for Normality was held in the capital.

Also in July 2024, an MP named George Simion shared a social media post to say that LGBTQ+ people are to blame for the weather conditions, which are divine punishment. In the same month, the head of the Romanian Orthodox Church also said that “homosexuality was, is and will remain unnatural”. 

Romania’s Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu during a meeting with Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer at 10 Downing Street on November 13, 2024 in London (Getty)

Marcel Ciolacu: country ‘not ready’ to uphold LGBTQ+ rights

A year ago, in November 2023, Romania’s Prime Minister said that the country isn’t ready to uphold LGBTQ+ rights in line with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

It came after the ECHR ruled in May 2023 that Romania had breached of article eight of the European Convention on Human Rights – the right to respect for private and family life – by refusing to legally recognise same-sex relationships.

In an interview with Europa FM, left-wing Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu was asked about his thoughts on the ECHR ruling and whether Romania would now consider expanding protections for the LGBTQ+ community.

Ciolacu said: “Romanian society is not ready for a decision at the moment. It is not one of my priorities and… I don’t think Romania is ready.”

Two women kiss as they take part in the Bucharest Pride 2018.
Two women kiss as they take part in Bucharest Pride 2018. (DANIEL MIHAILESCU/AFP via Getty)

He continued: “I am not a closed-minded person, I… have friends in relationships with a man, I don’t have a problem with that, I am talking now from the point of view of a prime minister.”

Ciolacu added that he didn’t believe it would be the last time that Romania failed to enforce the ECHR’s rulings.

Although Romania decriminalised homosexuality in 2001, it has yet to legalise marriage or civil partnerships for same-sex couples.

In the ECHR’s investigation into Romania’s failure to recognise same-sex couples, it was determined that the societal opposition to same-sex marriage in Romania should not override same-sex couples’ right to have their relationships legally recognised.

Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu
Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said ‘Romanian society is not ready” to introduce same-sex rights. (Getty Images)

The investigation had been prompted by complaints lodged by 21 different Romanian couples to the ECHR, arguing that there was no way to legally safeguard their relationships due to the country’s lack of recognition.

Each of the couples had given notice to their local registry offices expressing their intention to marry, but their requests were rejected under an article that defines marriage as being between a man and a woman.

Their requests were also rejected under a separate article which states that same-sex marriage is “prohibited” in Romania.

LGBTQ+ propaganda bill

In 2022, Romanian lawmakers came under fire when the government introduced a so-called LGBTQ+ “propaganda” bill, which would ban the use of materials in schools that “promote” being queer.

According to the World Values Survey conducted between 2017 and 2020, three-quarters of the population said that they believed that homosexuality is “not justifiable”.

What rights could Romanian LGBTQ+ people lose under Calin Georgescu?

LGBTQ+ rights in Romania (Equaldex)

Equaldex – a collaborative knowledge base for the LGBTQ+ movement – give Romania an overall score of 46/100 for its treatment of LGBTQ+ people, taking into account factors like legal rights and also public opinion about queer people in general. 

Trans people are currently banned from serving in the military and can’t legally change gender unless they have gender affirming surgery. Non-binary people are not legally recognised. Gay marriage is banned. 

Homosexuality is, however, legal, as is gender affirming care. LGBTQ+ people are permitted to donate blood and the age of consent for queer people is equal to that of heterosexual people.

At the time of writing, it is still unclear whether Elena Lasconi or Calin Georgescu will win on 8 December, and what the premiership of either candidate could mean for the already less-than-comprehensive LGBTQ+ rights in the country. We’ll update this article when the results are known.

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