British gay rights activist’s death in Romania treated as “suspicious”

British travel writer David St Vincent, a top activist for gay rights in Romania, was found dead in his apartment in Bucharest, on January 12. The Police initially ruled his death as natural, but last week announced that they treated St Vincent’s death as suspicious and sent the case to the Bucharest prosecutor’s office, according to British newspaper The Independent. However, St Vincent’s friends believe that his death may have been due to natural causes, as he was epileptic, had blood pressure problems and labyrinthitis, an inner-ear infection causing dizziness and difficulties with balance. David St Vincent, 48, came to Romania in 1994 to write a travel guide and decided to stay in the country. He was one of the founders of the Bucharest Acceptance Group, later renamed Accept, a group that played a decisive role in achieving the decriminalization of same-sex relationships in Romania in 2001. Accept also organized Romania’s first gay pride parade in 2005. Although the LGBT community has managed to get some of their rights recognized in Romania, the social attitude towards this minority is still mostly negative. Several local organizations supported by the Orthodox Church are trying to change Romania’s Constitution and ban same-sex marriages. American writer Andrew Solomon says Central University Library canceled his lecture on gay identity in Romania Study: Most Romanians wouldn’t vote for a woman president nor accept a gay relative Comment: Constitutions, freedom and gay marriages editor@romania-insider.com (Photo source: Asociatia Accept on Facebook)