Gay Guide Romania

The age of consent in Romania is 15 years. Although Romania abolished paragraph 200 of the Communist-era article punishing homosexuality in 2001, gays and lesbians feel socially isolated and sometimes discriminated against. In 2000 an anti-discrimination law was enacted that is modelled after the one in the European Union. A bill to introduce registered partnership failed in 2014. In March 2018, it became known that the Social Democrats wanted to make a registered partnership for homosexual couples possible - in October they announced that it would be open to both homosexual and heterosexual couples. Shortly before that, a referendum organized by the Coalition for the Family, supported by the Orthodox Church, failed. The goal of the referendum was to define marriage in the Romanian constitution as an alliance between man and woman - but this did not reach the necessary 30 percent. In a survey conducted in 2017, 74% of those questioned were still against gay marriage. In a survey conducted by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, Romania ranked third in 2013 - behind Croatia and Bulgaria. The countries listed were those with the most pronounced homophobic behaviour among the population. 21% of LGBT respondents stated that they had been verbally or physically threatened or injured in the last 5 years. Nevertheless, attitudes are slowly changing, with the result that a small gay and lesbian scene is maturing, especially in the capital Bucharest. Since 2005, a Pride has also taken place here. Since the Romanian youth orients itself to the conditions in the West and becomes more and more open-minded, the Romanian Orthodox Church and the state lose influence. Romania is a country with beautiful landscapes, monasteries, mountains and historical cities. Especially the famous Transylvania is a magical destination.