A referendum in Romania seeks to expand restrictions on same-sex marriage in Eastern Europe: NPR

Social conservatives may have lost their fight against same-sex marriage in the United States. But in Eastern Europe, they seem to win.

Romania is one of the many countries in Eastern Europe that already prohibit civil marriage and same-sex unions in civil law. Now he is trying to ban it in the constitution. The government spends millions of dollars to hold a two-day referendum this weekend so voters can approve the change.

"Do you know what is a traditional family? It's a man and a woman who can have children," said Liviu Dragnea, leader of the ruling Social Democratic Party, after voting Saturday. "I voted for what millions of Romanians have claimed, for what I think defines us as a society and as a nation."

The Romanian constitution defines marriage as "between spouses". A group of religious groups called the Family Coalition wants it to be "between a man and a woman".

A spokesman for the powerful Romanian Orthodox Church, which supports constitutional change, said that Romania, which had overthrown communism in 1989 but was still struggling economically, felt the pressure of the West more liberal to accept same-sex marriage.

"We managed to preserve our Christian values ​​during the communist period, when the church was persecuted," Archbishop Ionut Mavrichi told NPR in his office in Bucharest. "We should be able to decide how we understand the institution of the family.Every child has the right to be raised and born into a family of father and mother like all children who are born . "

But the LGBTQ community says the referendum only encourages discrimination in a country that has only fully decriminalized homosexuality in 2001, a precondition for entry into the European Union.

"I would never even consider holding my boyfriend's hand in public here," says Alex Andronic, a 25-year-old novelist. "Because in Romanian society, people are told" that homosexuals take control of the country, "as if we were supposed to be feared.

Andronic spoke on the colorful terrace of his bistro-pub, Blueberry, one of the few gay establishments in Bucharest, which he runs with his close friend, Mihaela Balan. Andronic says that he considers Balan, who is 48 years old, as a second mother, after his relations with his own mother were strained upon his release.

"This referendum only concerns hatred," said Balan. "I refuse to vote at all."

Those who oppose the referendum boycott him in the hope of being able to kill him. It will only be valid if 30% of voters participate.

Electoral fraud is also a concern, so the civic group Funky Citizens sends 700 volunteers to act as independent election observers.

"This referendum has no place in a democratic society because it is a vote to restrict human rights," says Elena Calistru, president of the group, then as volunteers flock around a table of laptops to check the voters' worksheets.

She says that it is not just same-sex couples who will suffer, but also single parents, grandparents and "other people raising children in households other than heterosexual households of married parents".

Some analysts have suggested that the leader of the ruling party, Dragnea, who has been found guilty of corruption and abuse of power, uses the referendum to distract voters from his own problems.

But Calistru stresses that the referendum speaks volumes also about the current divisions within the EU.

"The countries of Central and Eastern Europe have experienced a wave of nationalism and nativism over the past two or three years, with a speech calling for a return to tradition," she said. "This is very worrying because these are countries that have recently joined the European Union and are disappointed with the process of integration, especially in rural areas.They have not the impression of having removed something from the EU but still have to follow the EU rules. "

US conservatives also participated in the referendum in Romania. Last year, Harry Mihet, vice-president of Liberty Counsel, the US law firm that advocated restrictions on same-sex marriage, traveled to Romania with Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis. in Kentucky, accused of refusing to issue same-sex marriage certificates. . They told pro-referendum activists that same-sex marriage was not compatible with religious freedom "because those who promote it have a zero tolerance for the second".

But conservative forces have encountered resistance in the EU.

In a landmark ruling last June, the Court of Justice of the European Communities ruled that EU countries that have not legalized same-sex marriage must respect the same-sex residence rights under the laws of the EU. EU rules on freedom of movement.

The case was introduced by Adrian Coman, a Romanian who could not get a Romanian residency permit for his American husband, Claibourn Robert Hamilton, as the country had not acknowledged their marriage. (The couple, both 47 years old, are married in Belgium in 2010).

Coman and Hamilton now live in New York, but they watch the referendum vote with concern.

"I heard that some Romanians were talking about an exit from the European Union," said Coman, a non-profit director. "It's really strange because Romania's support to the EU has always been among the highest in the bloc.The freedom of movement to live and work within the bloc has really improved our lives."

In court, said Coman, Romania suggested that his marriage was not compatible with national identity. But in his home town of Târgovişte, the medieval city in central Romania where his parents still live, the couple was accepted.

"We are always greeted with homemade soup and open arms," ​​Hamilton said. "They see us as any other family."

Independent producer Mihai Ursu contributed to the report