Gay rights in Bulgaria
Encyclopedia
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in Bulgaria may face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT
residents. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity are legal in Bulgaria
, but same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal protections available to opposite-sex couples.
Bulgaria
, like most countries in Eastern Europe, tends to be socially conservative
when it comes to such issues as homosexuality
. However, the independent private media occasionally report on gay events, the national and the private television channels have cast films with gay themes, and gay-themed movies are shown in the cinemas. In addition, some famous Bulgarians have come out, suggesting that gay men and lesbians are becoming more visible in Bulgaria.
There are several active LGBT organisations in Bulgaria which promote and fight for equality of LGBT people in mainstream society. The gay scene in Bulgaria is small but vibrant and it is mainly concentrated in cities like Sofia, Varna and Plovdiv, and the major tourist resorts along the Black Sea Coast. Sofia boasts its own annual Gay Pride Parade with a growing number of participants each year. The sea city of Varna however continues to face strong opposition from local authorities and the Bulgarian Orthodox Church in its attempts at staging a Gay Pride Parade.
Homosexual acts were decriminalized throughout the Ottoman Empire
, including what is today Bulgaria, in 1858. Following the Liberation of Bulgaria
in 1878, the country's own penal code came into force on May 1, 1896, and homosexual acts between males over 16 years of age once again became punishable by at least 6 months of imprisonment. The Penal Code of March 13, 1951 not only kept the penalty for gay sex but there stipulated an increase in the jail term, up to 3 years.
The revised Penal Code of May 1, 1968 removed the sections regarding homosexual acts, thus rendering them legal again.
. The Government has presented a new Family Code for Parliament
's approval. The proposed bill envisions the institution of registered partnerships. However, as the text stands now, these partnerships will not include same sex couples. Bulgaria's Commission for Protection Against Discrimination, as well as numerous equal rights advocates have deemed this discriminatory and have demanded that registered unions be extended to both heterosexual and same sex couples. While the debate is still ongoing, it is becoming increasingly unlikely that a vote will take place before the June elections
.
and Varna
. A 2002 Pew Global Attitudes Project survey recorded that 37% of Bulgarians think homosexuality should be accepted by society. A 2006 European Union
poll shows 15% of Bulgarians
support same sex marriage http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/index.cfm/fuseaction/viewItem/itemID/14203.
The main LGBT rights organization in Bulgaria
is "Action" ( Deystvie in Bulgarian) http://www.deystvie.org/. The non - profit has over 1000 fans on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/lgbtdeystvie as of May of 2011. Between 1992 and 2010 the most active Bulgarian gay organisation was BGO Gemini
It was a national advocacy organisation, non-profit public entity based on membership principle, founded in 1992. The mission of the organization was to reach inclusive social environment for homosexual, bisexual and transgender people in Bulgaria in all types of legal, social, cultural and economical discrimination and victimisation. It executed several successful anti-discrimination campaigns in recent years including the first gay pride in Bulgaria in 2008.
On June 28, 2008, about 150 people participated in Bulgaria's first ever gay pride parade
in Sofia
. The participants of the parade were attacked with a petrol bomb, rocks, and bottles of urine by right-wing groups and football hooligans, which had called for a "week of intolerance". The police handled the situation and no one was hurt. Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev stated he did not like "the manifestation and demonstration of such orientations.". The 2009 pride went peacefully and had about 300 participants mainly from Bulgaria but also from Great Britain
, Macedonia
, and Greece
. It was the first pride to be supported by foreign embassies and a political party. The third Sofia Gay Pride took place in late June 2010 and drew about 700 participants.
On 18 June, 2011, about 1200 people participated in the fourth gay parade in Bulgaria. There were several incidents, including a motorman who tried driving through the gathered crowd
minutes before the parade started and also 5 beaten participants after the event had ended.
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
residents. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity are legal in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, but same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal protections available to opposite-sex couples.
Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, like most countries in Eastern Europe, tends to be socially conservative
Social conservatism
Social Conservatism is primarily a political, and usually morally influenced, ideology that focuses on the preservation of what are seen as traditional values. Social conservatism is a form of authoritarianism often associated with the position that the federal government should have a greater role...
when it comes to such issues as homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
. However, the independent private media occasionally report on gay events, the national and the private television channels have cast films with gay themes, and gay-themed movies are shown in the cinemas. In addition, some famous Bulgarians have come out, suggesting that gay men and lesbians are becoming more visible in Bulgaria.
There are several active LGBT organisations in Bulgaria which promote and fight for equality of LGBT people in mainstream society. The gay scene in Bulgaria is small but vibrant and it is mainly concentrated in cities like Sofia, Varna and Plovdiv, and the major tourist resorts along the Black Sea Coast. Sofia boasts its own annual Gay Pride Parade with a growing number of participants each year. The sea city of Varna however continues to face strong opposition from local authorities and the Bulgarian Orthodox Church in its attempts at staging a Gay Pride Parade.
Homosexual acts were decriminalized throughout the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, including what is today Bulgaria, in 1858. Following the Liberation of Bulgaria
Liberation of Bulgaria
In Bulgarian historiography, the term Liberation of Bulgaria is used to denote the events of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78 that led to the re-establishment of Bulgarian state with the Treaty of San Stefano of March 3, 1878, after the complete conquest of the Second Bulgarian Empire, which...
in 1878, the country's own penal code came into force on May 1, 1896, and homosexual acts between males over 16 years of age once again became punishable by at least 6 months of imprisonment. The Penal Code of March 13, 1951 not only kept the penalty for gay sex but there stipulated an increase in the jail term, up to 3 years.
The revised Penal Code of May 1, 1968 removed the sections regarding homosexual acts, thus rendering them legal again.
Summary table
| Homosexuality legal |  |
| Equal age of consent | |
| Anti-discrimination laws in all area | |
| Gay Pride | |
| Same-sex marriage(s) |  |
| Recognition of same-sex couples as de facto couples or civil partnerships | Recognition of same-sex unions in Bulgaria Bulgaria does not recognize any type of same-sex unions.In 2008 and 2009 there were many debates on several national TV stations on the subject with the participation of politicians, religious leaders, gay activists and others individuals.... ) |
| Joint and/or step adoption by same-sex couples | |
| Adoption by single homosexual people | |
| Gays allowed to serve openly in the military | |
| Right to change legal gender | |
| MSM Men who have sex with men Men who have sex with men are male persons who engage in sexual activity with members of the same sex, regardless of how they identify themselves; many men choose not to accept sexual identities of homosexual or bisexual... s allowed to donate blood |
|
Recognition of same-sex relationships
As of 2009, there is a debate about introducing same sex registered partnerships in BulgariaBulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
. The Government has presented a new Family Code for Parliament
National Assembly of Bulgaria
The National Assembly of Bulgaria is the unicameral parliament and body of the legislative of the Republic of Bulgaria.The National Assembly of Bulgaria was established in 1879 with the Constitution of Bulgaria.-Ordinary National Assembly:...
's approval. The proposed bill envisions the institution of registered partnerships. However, as the text stands now, these partnerships will not include same sex couples. Bulgaria's Commission for Protection Against Discrimination, as well as numerous equal rights advocates have deemed this discriminatory and have demanded that registered unions be extended to both heterosexual and same sex couples. While the debate is still ongoing, it is becoming increasingly unlikely that a vote will take place before the June elections
Bulgarian parliamentary election, 2009
Parliamentary elections were held in Bulgaria on 5 July 2009. The decisive winner of the elections was Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party, led by Sofia mayor Boyko Borisov...
.
Discrimination protections
The 2003 Protection Against Discrimination Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in various areas, including employment, the provision of goods and services, housing and education.Living conditions
Most of gay life in Bulgaria is set in Sofia but there are also a few gay clubs in cities like PlovdivPlovdiv
Plovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...
and Varna
Varna
Varna is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, with a population of 334,870 inhabitants according to Census 2011...
. A 2002 Pew Global Attitudes Project survey recorded that 37% of Bulgarians think homosexuality should be accepted by society. A 2006 European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
poll shows 15% of Bulgarians
Bulgarians
The Bulgarians are a South Slavic nation and ethnic group native to Bulgaria and neighbouring regions. Emigration has resulted in immigrant communities in a number of other countries.-History and ethnogenesis:...
support same sex marriage http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/index.cfm/fuseaction/viewItem/itemID/14203.
The main LGBT rights organization in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
is "Action" ( Deystvie in Bulgarian) http://www.deystvie.org/. The non - profit has over 1000 fans on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/lgbtdeystvie as of May of 2011. Between 1992 and 2010 the most active Bulgarian gay organisation was BGO Gemini
BGO Gemini
The Bulgarian Gay Organization Gemini was the primary organization in the LGBT rights movement in Bulgaria, based in Sofia.It was legally registered in 1992 by an HIV-positive gay couple and since then has grown to become the main LGBT organization in the country...
It was a national advocacy organisation, non-profit public entity based on membership principle, founded in 1992. The mission of the organization was to reach inclusive social environment for homosexual, bisexual and transgender people in Bulgaria in all types of legal, social, cultural and economical discrimination and victimisation. It executed several successful anti-discrimination campaigns in recent years including the first gay pride in Bulgaria in 2008.
On June 28, 2008, about 150 people participated in Bulgaria's first ever gay pride parade
Gay pride parade
Pride parades for the LGBT community are events celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender culture. The events also at times serve as demonstrations for legal rights such as same-sex marriage...
in Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
. The participants of the parade were attacked with a petrol bomb, rocks, and bottles of urine by right-wing groups and football hooligans, which had called for a "week of intolerance". The police handled the situation and no one was hurt. Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev stated he did not like "the manifestation and demonstration of such orientations.". The 2009 pride went peacefully and had about 300 participants mainly from Bulgaria but also from Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
, and Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. It was the first pride to be supported by foreign embassies and a political party. The third Sofia Gay Pride took place in late June 2010 and drew about 700 participants.
On 18 June, 2011, about 1200 people participated in the fourth gay parade in Bulgaria. There were several incidents, including a motorman who tried driving through the gathered crowd
Crowd
A crowd is a large and definable group of people, while "the crowd" is referred to as the so-called lower orders of people in general...
minutes before the parade started and also 5 beaten participants after the event had ended.
See also
- Human rights in BulgariaHuman rights in BulgariaAlthough Bulgaria joined the European Union in 2007, its compliance with human rights norms is far from perfect. Although the media have a record of unbiased reporting, Bulgaria’s lack of specific legislation protecting the media from state interference is a theoretical weakness. Conditions in...
- LGBT rights in EuropeLGBT rights in EuropeLesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender rights are widely diverse in Europe per country. Seven out of the ten countries that have legalised same-sex marriage are situated in Europe; a further fourteen European countries have legalised civil unions or other forms of recognition for same-sex couples...