SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Protesters gathered in front of the Bulgarian parliament on Thursday to denounce a controversial legal change adopted the previous day that bans talk about LGBTQ+ and so-called non-traditional sexual choices in schools.
The protest was organized by feminist, LGBTQ+ and other human rights groups calling for the reversal of this change, banning what supporters call “LGBTQ+ propaganda in schools”.
Waving the rainbow flag, protesters shouted slogans such as “Bulgaria is not Russia” and “Silence means death” as police guarded the demonstration. No violence was reported.
Bulgaria’s parliament approved changes to the country’s legislation on Wednesday educational legislation, introduced by the pro-Russian Vazrazhdane party and surprisingly, supported by some pro-European Union parties. Lawmakers in the 240-seat parliament voted 159 in favor of the change.
The amendment prohibits the “promotion, popularization and support of ideas and opinions related to non-traditional sexual orientation or sexual identification other than biological” in schools.
In a separate vote on Wednesday, lawmakers also approved a law that defines “non-traditional sexual orientation” as one that is “different from the generally accepted and established notions in the Bulgarian legal tradition of emotional, romantic, sexual or sensual attraction between people of opposite position.” sex”.
Bulgaria, a member of the European Union, has been criticized for violating the rights of the LGBTQ+ community and was urged to ensure their recognition and protection. Bulgaria also refused to ratify the Istanbul Convention on the Prevention of Violence against Women, due to the widespread belief that it means promoting LGBTQ+ rights.
European human rights groups such as Belgium-based Forbidden Colors condemned the legislation as an attack on the fundamental rights of LGBTQ+ individuals, especially children.
“It is deeply worrying to see Bulgaria adopting tactics from Russia’s anti-human rights playbook. Such actions are not only regressive, but are also in direct contradiction to the values of equality and non-discrimination that the European Union stands for,” Forbidden Colors said in a statement on its website.
Similar anti-LGBTQ+ legislation was passed in other countries in the region, including HungaryBosnia, Moldova and Türkiye.
