Many Romanians do not even know what the abbreviation LGBTQ means, because the issue of gender identity in that country in recent years was almost not a topic that was discussed in public. Admittedly, in the fall of 2018, a referendum against same-sex marriages was held, which was instigated by the Romanian Orthodox Church, but despite a great effort to mobilize believers, the referendum failed miserably: only 21 percent of citizens responded.
Now the issue of gender identity is once again turning into a challenge for Romania's otherwise pro-European government. This time the topic was promoted by two right-wing parties of Hungarians in Romania: the Hungarian People's Party of Transylvania (PPMT) and the Hungarian Citizens' Party (MPP). They advocate for a law similar to the one in Hungary against the alleged "LGBTQ ideology" and "homo-propaganda" and for the protection of the "pure family".
The initiative to introduce such an "Orban law" against persons of different sexual orientation in Romania was presented in the Romanian parliament by PPMT deputy Zoltan Zakarias. In this way, the initiative became a politically sensitive issue, because the PPMT deputy entered the parliament on the list of the umbrella Democratic Association of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR), which has been in the liberal coalition government of Romania since the end of last year.
Are all Romanian Hungarians like that?
Political scientist Cristian Privulescu warns that the PPMT party of Romanian Hungarians is systematically changing - among other things due to the influence of Orban and the politics of Budapest. She previously advocated for the integration of the Transylvanian Hungarians into the multicultural and multiethnic community of that province in the north of Romania, but "now she advocates the idea of an ethnic and cultural Great Hungary", claims the Romanian political scientist.
The Democratic Association of Hungarians in Romania has not yet announced an initiative to pass a law against homosexuality, but has made it clear that it will only make a statement about it in the fall, when the bill comes to parliament after the summer break. However, the UDMR has already shown that it supports Orbán's fight against homosexuality. Hungary is preparing a referendum on the controversial law, and many Transylvanian Hungarians also have Hungarian citizenship - so the Association invited them to go to the referendum next January and support Orbán's law.
Privilescu reminds that there are elections in Hungary itself next year: "It is extremely important for Orban to get the votes of the Hungarians of Transylvania. They are indeed conservative, but they are not against Europe. That's why he's trying to mobilize them with the topic of the LGBTQ population, which divides society and which can more easily get votes."
Chauvinists of all countries...
The whole case becomes even more politically sensitive because the initiative to pass a law against homosexuality is also supported by the Romanian far-right Union for the Unification of Romanians (AUR) of George Simion, which won 10 percent of the vote in the last elections and has representatives in the parliament. In fact, the alliance is known for its extremely aggressive attitude against all national minorities in Romania, and especially against Romanian Hungarians - although one Hungarian portal calls Simeon the "Romanian Orban". But when it comes to gender identity, chauvinists on both sides have apparently found common ground.
For lawyer Peter Ekštejn-Kovač, it is already bad that such ideas entered the ranks of the Romanian government "through the back door" at all: "This is an attempt to bring Romania, which until now has been unequivocally for Europe, into an anti-European alliance close to the Kremlin," says Eckstein-Kovach.
"Fifth column"?
Ekštajn-Kovač is himself of Hungarian origin and was a member of the UDMR for a long time. Now he is outraged by the current policy of the Association of Hungarians in Romania, and in this belief he goes so far as to compare the Hungarians of Transylvania with ethnic Germans who once served Hitler as a fifth column in the occupation of Romania. "I see that the Transylvanian Hungarians have also reached that point," says Eckstein-Kovač. "The feeling that Transylvania is their homeland turns into swearing on the blood kinship of all Hungarians and Hungary as their homeland. I find it extremely dangerous."
However, Romanians are not completely insensitive to the issue of sexual orientation. In line with EU guidelines, Romania's interior minister recently unveiled the country's new ID card, where the gender symbol is replaced by "Gen" (Gender) - which allows for alternative identities. But after large protests by both the Church and the nationalists, and some politicians of the ruling coalition joined in, that proposal to change the ID card was withdrawn.
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