Bulgaria, Europe

Homosexual sex was legalised in 1968, making Bulgaria one of the first Eastern European countries to legalize gay sex. In 2002, the age of consent was equalized with that for heterosexual sex. There is no law against gays. All discrimination in law was abolished in 2002, except for laws on male prostitution. An anti-discrimination law, the Protection Against Discrimination Act, has existed since 2003. It prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in all areas, including employment, the provision of goods and services, housing and education. 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. The main LGBT rights organization in Bulgaria is BGO Gemini. The Bulgarian gay organization Gemini is a national advocacy organization, non-profit public entity based on membership principle, founded in 1992.

 

 

Bulgarian LGBTQ community center attacked, vandalized

Ultranationalist presidential candidate accused of leading attack Sofia, Bulgaria — A Bulgarian LGBTQ rights group says the leader of an ultranationalist political party who is running for president led an attack against their offices and community center on Saturday. The Bilitis Foundation in a series of tweets said “a group of about 10 men and… Read more »

Bulgaria recognizes marriage of same-sex couple in landmark case

Court’s decision cannot be appealed and is a historic win for LGBTI rights A top court in Bulgaria ruled the country must recognize a same-sex couple’s overseas marriage. Last year, the Sofia City Administrative Court ruled in favor of Cristina Palma and Mariama Diallo, an Australian-French couple who married in France in 2016, but who… Read more »

Bulgaria recognises rights of married lesbian couple in historic first

A Bulgarian court has backed the right of a same-sex married couple to reside in the country for the first time in a landmark ruling. The Sofia City Administrative Court ruled that the French-Australian couple should be allowed to live in Bulgaria together, reports Australian TV network SBS. Cristina Palma, from Australia, married her partner… Read more »

Lesbian couple sue Bulgarian court in first ever fight for same-sex marriage recognition

A trailblazing lesbian couple in Bulgaria have become the first to fight a legal battle for the recognition of their same-sex marriage. Lilia Babulkova and her wife, who goes by the initials DK, could set a court precedent in the battle for recognition by an EU court for their same-sex marriage to be officially recognised… Read more »

Spring Gay Tour (one time only)

The Holiday begins with your arrival in Sofia on Friday. Our representative will meet you at the airport or the station and take you to the hotel. You’ll have the rest of the day to settle in or take a walk in the city. In the evening we will take you to a traditional Bulgarian… Read more »

Bulgarian Parliament rejects gay propaganda ban law

Bulgarian lawmakers have thrown out a law which would have ended LGBTI people’s freedo m of expression and freedom to assembly with even more severe punishments than Russia’s ban on so-called homosexual propaganda Lawmakers in Bulgaria have rejected a proposal which would have banned any public discussion or display of LGBTI identity. The proposal to… Read more »

Bulgaria Court rules claim gay men are more dangerous than smoking is unlawful

The Supreme Administrative Court of Bulgaria has ruled that comments by Bulgarian film director Andrey Slabakov constitute unlawful harassment, ordering the country’s Commission for Protection against Discrimination to take action against him Bulgaria’s Supreme Administrative Court has ruled that comments made on national television by actor and director Andrey Slabakov saying homosexuals were more dangerous… Read more »

LGBT Pride and Protest: A First-Hand Report From Sofia, Bulgaria

Pride has always been a tense time in Sofia, Bulgaria, where I have lived for the last four years. In 2008, the year of the first Pride (not coincidentally, Bulgaria joined the European Union in 2007), the parade was disrupted by a group of nationalists, who assaulted participants and threw Molotov cocktails. In subsequent years… Read more »

Sofia Pride cancelled due to fears of anti-gay attacks

Organizers of Sofia pride in Bulgaria have cancelled the event scheduled for tomorrow, citing security concerns Pride has been canceled in Sofia capital of Bulgaria, due to fears that anti-gay extremists may attack the participants. Organizers of Sofia Pride that was scheduled for tomorrow (22 June) say the event has been canceled due to the… Read more »

Bulgaria gay parade peaceful, despite provocations

A gay pride march in the Bulgarian capital Sofia stayed peaceful Saturday, but homosexuality remains a sensitive issue across the Balkans. Istanbul, Turkey – A Pride Parade in Bulgaria passed without threatened violence yesterday, but homosexuality remains a sensitive issue across the Balkans. In the weeks before, fears of violence had been stoked by provocative… Read more »

Bulgaria: Action, not just words, needed to tackle anti-gay hate crimes

An urgent overhaul of Bulgarian laws is needed to ensure that hate crimes which all too frequently target gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people are properly investigated and prosecuted, Amnesty International recommends in a briefing published today. “Dozens of LGBT people have been beaten, raped, and in one case murdered because of their real… Read more »

Bulgaria: Government ‘should condemn priest’s call for stoning at Pride’

The Bulgarian justice minister has been called on to repudiate a priest’s call for physical violence against Pride marchers in the country’s capital city. The Human Rights Watch group has written to Justice Minister Diana Kovacheva expressing concern over the unchecked remarks made by Father Evgeni Yanakiev of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, to which most… Read more »

Gay Bulgaria News Report 2000-11

http://www.geocities.com/psychiatryofhomophobia/index.htm 1 Cross-Dressing in Bulgaria: Gay-Identity, Post-Communist Fear, and Magical Love 6/00 2 Progress reports from Bulgarian LGBT organizations Gemini and Balkan Triangle 7/03 3 Balkan Triangle: A Midway Perspective (March 2001 – March 2003) 4 Introduction to the legal situation of gay men in Bulgaria 2003 5 Presentation of homosexuality in Sofia–Report on Commercial… Read more »

Relentless Homophobia Rages in the Balkans

“Be IN-tolerant! Be normal!”, appeals a poster that recently flooded the streets of the Bulgarian capital, Sofia. As the first gay pride parade in Bulgaria is about to take place, amid strong opposition by nationalistic organisations and a large part of society, the high levels of persistent homophobia in the country and the Balkans as… Read more »