RomaniaLGBTI people in continued to experience inequality throughout 2015. Public acceptance of LGBTI people in society was lower than the EU average and an inquiry into whether the police adequately protected an LGBTI event was dropped. No further action was taken against a prominent football club patron for discriminatory statements, despite a CJEU judgment that suggested stronger sanctions. Activists campaigning for sex education in schools were met with vocal opposition from religious-backed groups. Pride attracted record numbers of participants. At the end of the year, a citizen’s initiative to limit the constitutional definition of marriage appeared in the National Gazette.

ILGA-Europe Annual Review 2016 135 Asylum Steaua so dismissed the complaint against the football l The existing 2006 law on asylum (law 122/2006) was club. It issued Mr Becali with a warning. Accept then amended to recognise that specific groups of asylum referred questions to the CJEU, who subsequently issued a seekers may be in need of “special procedural guarantees” preliminary finding in April 2013. In 2013 and October throughout the asylum process. Sexual orientation and 2015, the national courts decided to uphold the CNCD gender identity are included as specific circumstances. decision, in spite of the CJEU’s finding that there was an Law 331/2015 came into force on 21 December. employment relationship for the purposes of the Equal Treatment Directive and that original punishment may not Bias-motivated violence have been sufficient. l An investigation into police actions during LGBTI History Month 2013 was officially closed in March. A film Family screening at the Museum of the Romanian Peasant in 2013 l Remus Cernea MP (independent) put forward a was violently disrupted by a far-right group. The Sector 2 gender-neutral civil partnership bill. In March, the Senate’s Court of First Instance upheld a previous decision to close legal committee voted against the bill. However, the the inquiry but did order the investigation of certain Senate’s Equal Opportunities Committee supported it, the assailants for displaying Nazi symbols and salutes. first time that a proposal to recognise same-sex couples was supported by a parliamentary commission. The Education Senate rejected the bill with 48 votes against, 8 in favour l The Coalition for Gender Equality, a group of 10 civil and 3 abstentions. On 18 December, the bill was defeated society organisations including LGBT NGO Accept, in a plenary sitting of the Chamber of Deputies, despite advocated for the introduction of mandatory sex earlier support from the Chamber’s Labour and Social education in schools. On 28 September, the Coalition Protection Committee. (along with 57 supportive groups) organised an online l On 25 November, a citizen’s initiative to limit the petition and a series of flashmobs in front of the definition of marriage was published in the Official education and health ministries. The campaign was Gazette. The proposal suggested amending article 48 of condemned by groups such as ‘Parents in support of the the constitution to redefine family in terms of Religion Class’ and The Coalition for Family, who said that heterosexual marriage. Marriage between same-sex the campaign was “aggressive” and “pornographic”. On 29 partners is currently banned under the Civil Code. In September, opponents of the campaign published the order for a citizens’ initiative to progress, 500,000 valid personal contact details of NGO representatives who had signatures must be collected. The collection phase was signed the petition; calling them the “NGO mafia” who launched by the initiative’s creators through an “wanted to impose homosexual propaganda”. Orthodox bishop in December, during Christmas religious services. The Employment actively supported the collection, which was still l The High Court of Cassation and Justice upheld the ongoing at the end of 2015. If the requisite number of 2010 decision of the National Council for Combating signatures is collected, they will be submitted to the Discrimination (CNCD) in a case involving LGBT NGO Constitutional Court in 2016. Accept and football team FC Steaua. A shareholder and patron of the club, Mr Becali, during a media interview Freedom of assembly said that he would never hire a homosexual player. The l Bucharest’s Pride march took place on 23 May, with NGO Accept lodged a complaint, but the CNCD said there no significant incidents during the march. The event was no employment relationship between Becali and FC attracted over 1,000 participants for the first time ever.

136 ILGA-Europe Annual Review 2016 Police and law enforcement l On 5 February, the Bucharest police department was ordered to pay EUR 5,000 in compensation to a man harassed by officers due to his perceived sexual orientation. On 27 July 2011, the man was threatened and assaulted by police officers who assumed he was gay. He complained about the incident but no action was taken. LGBT NGO Accept helped the man to sue for moral damages in the Sector 3 Court.

Public opinion l The results of a public opinion poll, commissioned by the National Council for Combating Discrimination, were published in June. According to this poll, LGB persons* rank fourth among the most discriminated groups in Romania, sharing this position with people of Roma ethnicity. The groups viewed as facing more discrimination than LGB individuals were people living with HIV/AIDS, people with substance use disorders and people with disabilities. The poll was carried out between May and August by market research agency TNS CSOP. l According to Eurobarometer 2015, 52% of people surveyed in Romania believe that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is widespread (EU28 average was 58%). When asked about gender identity, 46% felt discrimination on this ground was widespread (EU 28 average was 56%). 36% totally agreed with the statement that LGB people should have the same rights as heterosexual people (EU 28 average was 71%). When asked to grade how comfortable they would be with certain scenarios on a scale of 1 (not comfortable at all) - 10 (totally comfortable), 37% said they would be comfortable or moderately comfortable with an LGB work colleague (EU28 average was 72%). When asked about a potential trans work colleague, 35% said they would be comfortable or moderately comfortable (EU28 average was 67%).

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