Homosexuality is no longer illegal in Romania, thanks largely to pressure from the E.U. to bring human rights practices in line with the rest of Europe. This represents the end of a long battle against nasty discrimination in legislation, but does not solve the problem of an inherently homophobic society. When the first Romanian gay pride march took place in Bucharest in 2005, it was in the face of tremendous, vocal opposition from the church, government, and the police, not to mention the city mayor; while the GayFest 2008 celebration certainly was colorful, it wasn't a showstopper event. Slowly, gay-friendly or exclusively gay clubs are emerging, but this is only in the larger cities; public displays of homosexual affection are not likely to attract a positive response.
