Bucharest, Romania, became a vibrant stage for advocacy as approximately 30,000 people participated in the 20th annual Bucharest Pride parade, demanding equal rights and legal protections for the LGBTQ community.
Organized by ACCEPT, a leading Romanian LGBTQ rights organization, the march highlighted the ongoing struggle for civil union legislation and broader equality in a socially conservative nation.
According to Reuters, the event unfolded against the backdrop of a recent presidential election that amplified far-right rhetoric and hate speech targeting the community.
Marchers filled Bucharest’s central Victory Avenue, waving rainbow flags and carrying banners with messages like “Love is the worst feeling you could hate” and “Equality in love, equality in inheritance.
Civil partnership for all.” Teodora Roseti, president of ACCEPT, articulated the community’s demands: legal protection for same-sex couples, streamlined procedures for gender transitioning, and robust measures against hate speech and prejudice-based crimes.
These demands are particularly urgent given Romania’s failure to comply with a 2023 European Court of Human Rights ruling, which found the country in violation of same-sex couples’ rights by refusing to recognize their relationships.
Romania, a member of the European Union, decriminalized homosexuality in 2001, significantly later than many of its EU counterparts.
Despite this progress, the country continues to prohibit same-sex marriage and civil partnerships, placing it last among the 27 EU nations in the 2025 ILGA-Europe Rainbow Map, which evaluates the legal and policy landscape for LGBTQ individuals.
The 2025 Bucharest Pride parade occurred at a critical moment, following a contentious presidential election that saw centrist Bucharest mayor Nicusor Dan triumph over far-right candidate George Simion, a vocal opponent of LGBTQ rights.
The election cycle was marked by a surge in hate speech, with ACCEPT and Mozaiq, another LGBTQ advocacy group, reporting vandalism at their headquarters and increased harassment of community members.
Victor Ciobotaru, executive director of ACCEPT, noted a “huge increase” in hate crimes during the 2024-2025 election period, emphasizing that such rhetoric has tangible societal impacts.
Hours before the Pride march, a smaller counter-protest took place, with participants advocating for an “Orthodox Christian nation” and displaying Celtic cross flags, a symbol associated with far-right groups.
Additionally, a large “STOP LGBT” banner was briefly draped over an abandoned building in Bucharest, later removed, underscoring the polarized climate.
These incidents reflect broader regional challenges, as neighboring Hungary has implemented legislation effectively banning Pride marches, raising fears of similar restrictions in Romania.
The Bucharest Pride parade coincided with similar events across Central and Eastern Europe, including a Pride march in Poland, where far-right parties have also gained influence.
Romania’s challenges are not isolated; the region has seen a rise in conservative and nationalist movements that often target LGBTQ communities.
Despite these obstacles, the turnout of 30,000 in Bucharest—three times the size of the 2019 parade—signals growing public support for equality, even as counter-protests and legislative threats persist.
In 2022, Romania faced a proposed bill, inspired by Hungary’s 2021 anti-LGBTQ legislation, that aimed to ban discussions of homosexuality and gender identity in public spaces.
Although the bill did not pass, it highlighted the ongoing risk of regressive policies.
Activists like Teodora Roseti have stressed that such measures conflict with Romania’s EU commitments and human rights obligations, positioning the country closer to authoritarian models than European democratic values.
