Romania overtakes Poland as worst EU country for LGBTQ+ people

Romania has overtaken Poland as the worst country in the EU for LGBTQ+ people, according to a ranking published by the Brussels-based non-governmental organization ILGA-Europe. Countries are placed in the organization’s annual "Rainbow Map" according to factors such as the number of hate crimes in a given year and the rights afforded by authorities to the LGBTQ+ community.

“Romania now sits at the end of the EU ranking with 19% points, followed by Poland (21%) and Bulgaria (21%),” the map says.

Romania scores 0% in family rights and intersex bodily integrity, but 83% in civil society space, which takes into consideration freedom of assembly, association, and expression of LGBTI people. Low scores, however, are also in hate crime & hate speech (11.59%), legal gender recognition (12.8%), and asylum (16.6%). Romania also scores 22.5% in equality and non-discrimination legislation.

Poland was the worst country in the EU for LGBTQ+ people for six years straight, since 2019, with top Polish politicians campaigning against “LGBTQ+ ideology” and the “weakening of the West.”

In Romania, 81% of LGBT+ people avoid often or always holding hands with their same-sex partner. For the EU-28, it is 61%, according to the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights.

Around 44% in Romania avoid certain locations for fear of being assaulted, compared to 33% in the EU. Finally, around 25% are now often or always open about being LGBT in Romania, compared to the EU-28 average of 47%.

MozaiQ, a Romanian advocacy group for LGBT+ people, noted that the country narrowly avoided an extremist presidency and that the recent campaign normalized hate speech. Problems are also numerous. “We have no civil partnerships. We have no legal recognition. We have no real protection,” the organization said on Facebook.

The group also noted the need for civil partnerships, clear procedures for the legal transition of trans people, and safe spaces.

The political sphere greatly impacts sexual minorities, as made evident by the Polish case. The country’s stance regarding sexual minorities changed after the country's 2023 parliamentary elections, indicating that conditions for LGBTQ+ people have improved. However, the new government has not introduced any new reforms to improve LGBTQ+ rights, despite having promised to do so during the pre-election campaign. According to an Ipsos+ poll, 67% of Poles support same-sex marriage or legal recognition of unions for LGBTQ+ couples.