Romanian Orthodox Influence and LGBTQI+ Stigma
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): The Good Men Project
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2026/03/22
Bianca Bulgaru is a journalist and correspondent for Beta News, reporting from Kyiv on Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine. Before moving into reporting, she worked in corporate management, a background she says sharpened her strategic, analytical approach. Her work blends photo reportage with explanatory pieces on how conflict reshapes daily life, institutions, and public narratives. Bulgaru’s writing foregrounds civilian experience and the social consequences of political messaging. She speaks with a clear eyed, human rights sensibility, attentive to how fear, propaganda, and tradition can harden into stigma. Her reporting is grounded in empathy and clarity. Under intense pressure daily.
In this exchange, Scott Douglas Jacobsen asks Bianca Bulgaru how the Romanian Orthodox Church’s sexual ethics shape LGBTQI+ lives. Bulgaru notes Romania is formally secular, yet Orthodox doctrine and influence reinforce family norms and stigma, especially in rural areas. She describes fear based messaging that portrays LGBTQI+ visibility as brainwashing of children, creating suspicion rather than dialogue. Jacobsen probes the escalation from influence to force, and Bulgaru situates it as an emotive culture war narrative, not evidence based. She adds that media discussion of LGBTQI+ mental health harms is limited, with younger urban generations more accepting than many older adults.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Sociologically, the Romanian Orthodox Church plays a significant cultural role. While Romania is not a theocratic state, the Church has a strong historical and social influence. Many people speak positively about the liturgy and traditions of Eastern Orthodoxy. At the same time, conservative theological positions can shape attitudes toward LGBTQI+ individuals. How does the Church’s theology or institutional stance affect LGBTQI+ people in Romania? What are the social outcomes?
Bianca Bulgaru: Officially, Romania is a secular state. However, the Orthodox Church is influential in public life. Its doctrine maintains traditional teachings on sexuality and family. That theological stance contributes to a social environment in which LGBTQI+ individuals may face stigma, particularly in more conservative or rural areas.
There have also been scandals involving clergy accused of serious crimes, including abuse. In at least one widely discussed case, evidence was reportedly found during an investigation, and the individual was removed from clerical duties but not immediately imprisoned. Cases like that generate public frustration and raise questions about institutional accountability.
These dynamics—religious influence, political rhetoric, and media narratives—interact with broader cultural attitudes. For LGBTQI+ people, the result can be a mixture of formal legal neutrality at the state level and informal social pressure at the community level.
Officially, Romania is not a religious state. However, religion plays a significant role in many people’s lives. Most Romanians are raised in Christian Orthodox families, and religious tradition shapes cultural attitudes from an early age.
In my view, fear is often used as a tool in this context. Religious messaging can frame certain issues—especially LGBTQI+ identities—as moral threats. When fear becomes part of education or preaching, it can influence how people perceive their neighbours.
For example, someone may have lived peacefully alongside a neighbour for years. If they later learn that a person is part of the LGBTQI+ community, their attitude may change abruptly—not because of any personal harm, but because they have internalized a message that such identities are wrong or dangerous. This creates stigma.
The Church’s rhetoric, in some cases, contributes to that stigma. It may frame LGBTQI+ identities as immoral, unnatural, or harmful to children. There are claims that Western societies are “influencing” or “forcing” children to change their gender. That language is used to alarm people and mobilize opposition.
Jacobsen: When you say “force,” that is the strongest version of the accusation. In other contexts, I have heard terms such as “coerce,” “manipulate,” or “trick.” Sometimes the rhetoric suggests a coordinated ideological agenda. In more extreme religious settings, there can even be supernatural explanations. What is the range of accusations you hear in Romania?
Bulgaru: The most common framing is that children are being influenced or manipulated. The word “force” is used in some rhetoric, but more often it is presented as a subtle process—children being “confused,” “misled,” or “brainwashed” by Western media or education.
The narrative suggests that exposure alone will change a child’s identity. That assumption is not supported by scientific evidence, but it is emotionally powerful. The fear is that openness or discussion equals recruitment or coercion.
These messages do not typically rely on supernatural language in mainstream discourse. Instead, they frame the issue as a cultural or ideological battle, with the West portrayed as imposing values that undermine tradition.
The effect is to create suspicion and anxiety around LGBTQI+ people, rather than encouraging understanding or dialogue.
In Romania, both terms are used. Some rhetoric speaks about “influencing” children, while other messaging uses stronger language, including “forcing,” to create fear. The goal is often to alarm people about something they do not fully understand.
I know members of the LGBTQI+ community who have faced serious stigma in their social lives. They live ordinary lives, but they are judged or excluded because of their private identity.
Jacobsen: International research has shown that LGBTQI+ youth who experience rejection or hostility are at higher risk of mental health challenges, including anxiety, depression, and self-harm. In some countries, family rejection after coming out has led to homelessness or severe psychological distress. Is this issue openly discussed in the Romanian media?
Bulgaru: There is limited media coverage on this issue. Public discussion varies by generation. Among people of my generation, many have faced serious difficulties with their families after coming out.
Younger generations tend to face fewer challenges, although this also depends on location. Rural areas are generally more traditional and conservative, while large cities are often more socially open. Younger parents today are, on average, more accepting and less rigid in their views. By contrast, many individuals in my generation encountered significant obstacles related to their sexual orientation.
Here is my proposal. We will ask five additional questions, one to each of you, allowing approximately two and a half minutes per response. Then we will conclude and move to the coffee shop, where it is quieter. I will set up my laptop, and we can continue there. This will allow us sufficient time without rushing.
Jacobsen: Thank you very much for the opportunity and your time, Bianca.
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