Romania Steps Closer to EU after Article 200 Eliminated
The Washington
Blade, February 15, 2002
ROMANIA—All legal provisions that have helped to
discriminate against gay and lesbian relationships in Romania have now been
eliminated, according to the International Lesbian & Gay Association, an
international coalition of gay and lesbian organizations. The repeal of
Article 200 of the Romanian penal code is a "major and historic step
towards the complete elimination of all laws criminalizing same-sex
relationships in Europe," a press release from ILGA stated. Article 200
regulated a number of measures including age of consent, the definition of a
public place, and provisions relating to same-sex acts, all of which gay
organizations deemed discriminatory against gays and lesbians. The elimination
of Article 200 is the culmination of a 10-year campaign led for the most part
by Romanias national gay organization ACCEPT. Besides the campaigning of
ACCEPT, pressure from the European Union was a major contributor to the
repeal. Romanias repeal of Article 200 is a major step toward its membership
in the EU.
[Home] [World] [Romania]
