LGBTQ rights, conservative backlash and the constitutional definition of marriage in Romania

Abstract

One of the hottest topics on the most recent Romanian public agenda concerns the organisation of a national referendum on the constitutional amendment of the definition of marriage. This article seeks to understand the dynamics between the LGBTQ groups, the conservative responses and the articulation of each other’s strategies and tactics based on the opportunities created by both contenders. By analysing the history of their opposition, the international context dominated by a populist and nationalist narrative and the domestic synergies within society, it demonstrates that the intense debate on the referendum should be understood as a critical turn in the evolution of the LGBTQ rights.

Keywords:

• Constitutional amendment
• LGBTQ rights
• marriage
• Romania
• the Coalition for Family

Acknowledgment

I am thankful to the anonymous reviewers for their careful, pertinent and insightful suggestions. This paper and, in general, all researches would not be the same without the reviewers' hard work and commitment.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on Contributor

Diana Margarit, PhD, currently works as a lecturer at Alexandru Ioan University in the Department of Political Science, International Relations and European Studies, Iasi, Romania, where she lectures on social movements, political ideologies, international organizations and comparative politics. She wrote On the Edges of Democracy. From nation-state to the global sphere [in Romanian], 2013 and co-authored (with A. Carpinschi) a book on International Organizations [both the Romanian and English editions], 2011. She has also co-edited (with Alexandru Tofan) The Bestiary of Power [in Romanian], 2014. Her areas of interest include social movements in the 21st century, and, more precisely, the most Romanian protests, civil society and global governance.