First out gay candidate Florin Buhuceanu runs for parliament in Romania

The first out gay candidate Florin Buhuceanu is running for parliament in Romania. It comes after far-right candidate Calin Georgescu won the first round of the country’s presidential elections.

Buhuceanu has long been an activist for the LGBTQ+ community and is the first out gay politician to run for parliament in Romania, where the queer community still faces uncertainty. 

In 2019, the politician and his partner, alongside 20 other couples, took the country to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) for its refusal to formally recognise same-sex marriage or civil partnerships.

In 2023, the country was found to be breaching the human rights of same-sex couples by its refusal, the ECHR ruled. However, Romania has yet to formally recognise these rights for the LGBTQ+ community. 

“It’s sad that Romanian politicians are so lacking in courage to look around them and open up their eyes to the realities that are under their nose,” Buhuceanu told local outlet Context. 

“This issue cannot be separated from what’s going on with the democracy status of Romania. It’s inconceivable to have final judgments that are not respected immediately.”

Buhuceanu is running for Renewing Romania’s European Project (REPER), a liberal minority party. Citizens will be heading to the polls on 1 December to elect the members of parliament, along with the second of a two-round presidential election, which is set to follow. 

The first date took place on 24 November, when independent far-right candidate Georgescu won the first round of the country’s presidential elections. The second round is set to take place on 8 December.

According to IGLA-Europe, LGBTQ+ Romanians currently face a great deal of inequality, including accessing adequate food, being subjected to bias-motivated speech and violence, lack of inclusivity within education, and lack of marriage rights.

• Nov 29 2023

56 celebrities you didn’t know are gay, bisexual or lesbian