Human Rights International

Bulgaria – Sofia Pride

Bulgaria has been a member of the EU since 2007, but still faces considerable challenges in areas including equal rights and discrimination.LGBTI rights and acceptance continue to be some of the biggest problems. According to a 2015 poll, 51% of Bulgarians agreed that homosexuals should enjoy the same rights as heterosexuals, but only 27% said that there was nothing wrong with a homosexual relationship. And at 17%, Bulgaria has the EU’s lowest acceptance rate for gay marriage.

We have been supporting LGBTI rights in Bulgaria for several years and are especially supportive of the Sofia Pride Parade. Our annual discussion
event has become a fixture of Pride Week. “We believe in the power of dialogue and in developing spaces for engagement,” says Liliya Dragoeva,
member of the Sofia Pride organising committee and chairperson of the Deystvie LGBTI Youth Organisation. “This is why our partnership with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation is so valuable tous. In this, our fifth year, we have managed to create a discussion platform that enables theopen exchange  of views from diverse representatives from Bulgaria and Europe.” She adds, “I appreciate FNF’s support very much, especially for bringing international guests to Sofia Pride for the past five years. This gives us the opportunity to exchange best practices and experiences, and gain long-term allies.”

For Pride 2018 (motto: “Different people, same rights”) we produced a study that reviewed the legal basis for discrimination against same-sex couples in collaboration with activist and lawyer Denitsa Lyubenova from the NGO Deystvie. The study was presented during Pride Week and showed that many basic rights are still reserved
for “traditional” marriages. These include the purchase of property, receiving social services, access to personal information, and having a say in the partner’s medical care.