Bulgaria’s President Rumen Radev did not veto legislation changes banning so-called ‘LGBT propaganda’ at schools despite street protests and appeals urges by thousands of people and organisations, according to the table of contents of the country’s State Gazette for its August 16 issue.

The changes, adopted by parliament a week ago, will enter into force on the day of their publication in the State Gazette and mirror measures implemented in Russia and several pro-Russian countries.

On August 7, all political parties except the reformist Change Continues-Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) and some from the MPs of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) backed amendments to the law on pre-school and school education banning what it called propaganda of “untraditional sexual orientation” at schools.

The move was initiated by the far-right, pro-Russian Vazrazhdane party and was reminiscent of the Kremlin’s attitude regarding LGBT rights. 

Vazrazhdane has stepped up its efforts to introduce new legislation based on Russian laws ahead of the upcoming snap general election. On August 14 the party urged lawmakers to adopt a law on foreign agents, similar to legislation in force in Russia and which sparked mass protests in Georgia. 

The anti-LGBT law changes ban the imposing of ideological and/or religious doctrines, the holding of political activities and the propaganda, “promotion or incitement in any way, directly or indirectly, of ideas and views related to untraditional sexual orientation and/or the definition of gender identity other than the biological one”.

Propagators of legislation changes claimed that they reflect the spirit of the Bulgarian constitution that allows marriage only between a man and a woman, as well as Orthodox Christian values.

The amendments describe “untraditional sexual orientation” as “different from commonly accepted and embedded in the Bulgarian legal tradition notions of emotional, romantic, sexual or sensual attraction between persons of the opposite sex”.