The Romanians are to vote in a referendum this autumn on whether marriage should be defined as a union between man and woman, thus excluding the possibility of same-sex marriages. The parliament paved the way for a vote in May and now the ruling PSD wants to hold it as soon possible. Romanian commentators fear the worst.
Minorities have everything to fear
For LGBT activist Vlad Viski writing on blog portal Adevârul this will open up a Pandora's box:
“The amendment of the constitution would not just have immediate consequences. The constitution stands for the values of the society in which we live. Today the issue is members of the LGBT community, tomorrow it could be abortion rights, the Roma, Hungarians or the disabled.”
Dragnea digging his own grave
In the eyes of Hotnews commentator Dan Tapalaga the PSD leader Liviu Dragnea is digging his own political grave with this initiative:
“Holding a referendum on the traditional family brings us closer to the Visegrád states and away from Western Europe. After a series of scandals in which high-ranking prelates were accused of having homosexual relationships, it's questionable that the Orthodox Church will support the vote.”