LGBTQ+ Moldovans fear rights at stake in September election

LONDON - A pivotal parliamentary election in Moldova this month could tilt the tiny East European country towards Russia, threatening a drive to join the European Union and sparking fears among LGBTQ+ people that their rights could also be on the line.

The governing pro-EU party could lose its majority in the Sept. 28 vote with a poll this month putting a pro-Russian opposition group in the lead. There have been widespread reports of a dynamic, pro-Russian disinformation campaign.

Moldova, sandwiched between Ukraine and Romania, applied to join the EU in 2022 after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. LGBTQ+ activists see membership as a passport to stronger rights and protections, such as recognition of same-sex partnerships.

But if pro-Russian groups win, they fear a rights rollback similar to that witnessed in Georgia last year.

Here's everything you need to know.

What are LGBTQ+ rights like in Moldova?

Moldova ranks 25th out of 49 countries in Europe for LGBTQ+ rights, according to ILGA Europe's annual Rainbow Map.

Same-sex couples have no legal recognition and cannot adopt children. As of last year, six couples had filed for marriage recognition from the authorities - all were denied.

Transgender Moldovans must get an official medical diagnosis of "transsexuality" and go to court to change their gender.

In 2023, the commission issuing diagnostic certificates was disbanded, leaving trans people without a defined procedure.

There is also widespread public stigma and hostility. Eight in 10 Moldovans said they would not accept LGBTQ+ people as neighbours, according to a 2024 study.

During this year's Pride, a counter protest - the 'Family March' - was organised by the pro-Russian Socialist Party (PSRM), which had asked the city council to ban the event.

Moldova has, however, made some progress in protecting LGBTQ+ people. In 2013, a law against employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation took effect, and in 2022 hate crimes against the LGBTQ+ community were criminalised.

What impact could the election have on LGBTQ+ people?

The vote could be a watershed for democracy, as the country decides between forging deeper ties with the EU or with Russia.

Polls show that the pro-EU Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS), which holds the presidency and a parliamentary majority, lags the pro-Russian left-wing alliance, the Patriotic Bloc.

The alliance is led by former president and PSRM leader Igor Dodon.

The bloc is anti-LGBTQ+ and has pledged to end "foreign interests" in Moldova. Dodon's party proposed a bill to ban LGBTQ+ "propaganda" in schools last year, which was rejected.

"The overwhelming majority of our country's citizens are Orthodox Christians who adhere to traditional values and oppose the imposition of alien LGBT values on our country," Dodon told Russian news agency TASS at the time.

In 2021, Dodon praised Hungary's anti-LGBTQ+ censorship law, which restricts the sharing of LGBTQ+ information in schools and the media, and was criticised by Amnesty International in 2017 for saying he was not president of Moldovan gays when in office.

Senior officials have said a victory for pro-Russian parties would threaten Moldova's path to EU membership.

The EU frames LGBTQ+ equality as a core value under the Charter of Fundamental Rights, and can enforce rights through court rulings and anti discrimination laws.

What do activists say?

LGBTQ+ activists fear pro-Russian parties will further demonise the community and push through anti-LGBTQ+ legislation if they gain power.

Comparisons have been made to Georgia, where the Russian-backed Georgian Dream introduced a sweeping anti-LGBTQ+ law banning Pride events ahead of an election last October.

Leo Zbancă, from Moldova's oldest LGBTQ+ organisation, GenderDoc-M, said there had been a rise in anti-trans propaganda since 2024. Russia has flooded social media with misinformation ahead of the election.

Zbancă said the idea that Moldova might get dragged into the war in Ukraine was also driving some LGBTQ+ people to consider voting for pro-Russian parties.

"We've never felt so threatened like we feel right now," Zbancă told Context.

"If they have a majority, they will introduce an LGBTQ+ propaganda bill as an agent for scapegoating. We know how it works, they need to create an internal enemy."

(Reporting by Lucy Middleton; editing by Lyndsay Griffiths.)