Country Overview
Romania
At a glance
Same-sex Relations for Men Legal Throughout the Country?
Same-sex Relations for Women Legal Throughout the Country?
Legal Gender Recognition Possible?
LGBTI Orgs Able to Register?
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Romania is conservative in its laws and public opinion pertaining to LGBTIQ people. However, in recent decades, Romania has passed more progressive legislation including anti-discrimination protections and laws against hate crimes. Although transgender people can change their legal gender markers, this process is fairly inaccessible and requires surgical intervention. There is no legal recognition for non-binary people, nonconsensual medical interventions on intersex children remain legal, and same-sex couples cannot marry or enter into any kind of civil union. Right-wing political parties, as well as the Romanian Orthodox Church, oppose equal rights for LGBTIQ people. Incidents of violence and harassment against LGBTIQ are major issues. Anti-LGBTIQ organizations have mobilized against what they deem to be threats to the “traditional” family unit.
Global Impact
Sub-Saharan Africa
Outright supports LGBTIQ organizations in Sub-Saharan Africa and works with mainstream human rights organizations to respect human rights and influence positive changes in laws, policies, attitudes and beliefs that cause discrimination against LGBTIQ people.
United Nations
Our work at the United Nations centers around advocating for the advancement of the rights of LGBTIQ people.
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In the Middle East and North Africa, we partner with local groups in various countries as part of our international solidarity work. We also work with our local partners on different topics through capacity building, advocacy, research and holistic security.
Europe and Central Asia
Outright International partners with activists to fight for an end to human rights violations based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression in Europe and Central Asia, where most of our work involves emergency responses to harassment, discrimination, violence, and most recently, Russia’s brutal and expanded invasion of Ukraine.
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Our work in the Americas continues to build on the fundamental and positive transformation of human rights protections in recent years. We partner with groups in the Caribbean that focus on ending gender-based violence and eradicating discrimination against trans people.
Pacific
Our work in the Pacific aims to increase the visibility of activists, respond to human rights emergencies, and actively bridge local, regional, and international activism to achieve equality and justice.
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Human Rights Research
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