San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Voters weigh amendment against same-sex marriage
BUCHAREST, Romania — Romanians have begun two days of voting on a constitutional amendment that would make it harder to legalize same-sex marriage. The vote has raised concerns that non-traditional families will be face discrimination.
A conservative group initiated the referendum being held on Saturday and Sunday, and the influential Romanian Orthodox Church is backing it. The proposed amendment would revise the definition of family in the Constitution of Romania to make marriage “a union between a man and a woman” instead of “a union between spouses.”
Romanian law already prohibits same-sex marriages. Opponents say the new constitutional language is a mean-spirited attempt to make LGBT people feel more like second-class citizens and also could marginalize households led by single parents or unmarried couples raising children.
The referendum requires a 30-percent turnout of registered voters to be valid. The proposed change would prevent any attempt to legalize same-sex marriage through legislation.
Dressed in white robes and a white miter, Patriarch Daniel cast his ballot Saturday, but didn’t address the issue of marriage. However, he encouraged Romanians to vote, calling it: “a right, an honor and a blessing.”
Leader of the ruling Social Democratic Party Liviu Dragnea said Romania should decide how to run its own affairs and praised “the traditional family, a man and a woman who have children,” either naturally or through adoption.
“For years, others have been telling us how we should live,” he said after voting. “Now is the moment for us to decide for ourselves what kind of society and country we want.” However, he added that Romania should create “a legal framework for same-sex partnerships.”
Prime Minister Viorica Dancila earlier said that “I voted for the values in which I believe,” adding that “it is our civic duty to express our views.”
The vote came about after the Coalition for Family submitted a petition with 3 million signatures proposing the constitution be amended. The group said it was concerned young Romanians were learning about nontraditional family arrangements in school.
Gay rights groups say the constitutional revision could encourage homophobia by further promoting the view that only opposite-sex marriages are legitimate and same-sex relationships are unworthy of recognition or protection.
At a rally last week in southern Romania, Orthodox Bishop Sebastian Pascanu told believers that homosexuality was an “abnormality that first appeared in Western countries.”
“This abnormality needs therapy, treatment rather than special laws,” he said.
Alison Mutler is an Associated Press writer.