Romania’s LGBT community sees gains, ongoing rights struggle

By VADIM GHIRDA and VANESSA GERA
Associated Press

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — The 20th anniversary of the decriminalization of homosexuality in Romania provided cause for celebration during the gay pride parade and festival held in Bucharest this month. People danced, waved rainbow flags and watched performances at an event that would have been unimaginable a generation earlier. Yet many members of Romania’s LGBT community remain frustrated by the Central European nation’s failure to go further and legalize same-sex unions or marriages. There are also fears of a conservative backlash to the gains achieved so far. Lawmakers from two parties, including a junior partner in the country’s governing coalition, plan to introduce legislation next month that would ban so-called “gay propaganda” in schools.