Romania has set a date for a referendum to prevent same-sex marriage by changing the constitution to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Currently, the constitutional definition of marriage is between “spouses.”
The vote has been announced for 6-7 October after the country’s Senate voted to allow the referendum to be held. The other parliament chamber voted in support of the same measure last year.
The validity of a referendum requires at least 30 percent of voters to participate.
Social Democrats leader Liviu Dragnea is pushing forward with the referendum after three million people signed a petition which called for the constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman.
The petition was led by the Coalition for the Family, a group of 30 non-governmental organisations which back anti-LGBT policies to “promote the traditional family.”
Most EU countries allow either same-sex marriages or civil partnerships, but Romania does not even recognise those performed abroad.
Recently, European Court of Justice (ECJ) advised to urge Romania to give residency to gay man's partner. A legal advisor to the ECJ said in an opinion that under the EU's freedom of movement directive, the term "spouse" includes same-sex partners. This would apply even if the EU member state does not recognize gay marriage, like Romania does.
Romania goes in the wrong direction!
I stand with the LGBT community in Romania
By George Pendarbes: Making people unhappy. What a shit!ðĐ
ReplyDelete