The Coalition for the Defense of Family and Morality of Moldova, which brings together representatives of churches and NGOs and private individuals, demands that the phrase ‘sexual orientation’ is excluded from the law on the prevention and combating of discrimination, saying that it cannot be regarded as a discrimination criteria.

Vasile Filat, priest of the Chisinau church “Saint Trinity”, told a news conference on July 4 that the inclusion of this phrase in a legislative document will lead to the legalization of marriages between persons of the same sex and will contribute to propagating homosexuality and immoral practices.

According to Filat, ‘sexual orientation’ is not defined in the draft law. It can imply immoral sexual practices such as pedophilia, zoophilia, necrophilia etc. “We should be concerned about the falling birth rate and increasing number of divorces,” Filat said.

The Coalition’s member Vitalie Marin said that about 2,500 signatures in favor of excluding the phrase ‘sexual orientation’ from the bill were collected in Chisinau and 10,000-15,000 signatures in the whole country as part of the campaign “No to Homosexuality in Moldova” this week. According to Marin, the Moldovan society is generally against such practices and against legalizing the homosexual society.

Filat has added that if their demands are not satisfied, the Coalition will stage protests.

The priest considers that the members of “Gender-Doc M” Center are a danger because they try “to seduce the children from schools and orphanages.” He also said that the members of the LGTB community (lesbians, gays, transsexuals and bisexuals) cause themselves discrimination, defying the society and church.

Contacted by REPORTER.MD, the executive director of “Gender-Doc M”, Boris Balanetskii, said that the Center protects the rights of the sexual minorities and priest Vasile Filat’s statements are insinuations. He also said that the inclusion of the phrase ‘sexual orientation’ in the antidiscrimination law is not a danger because it refers only to sexual minorities and does not include immoral practices as Filat said. “These persons have the right to express their dissatisfaction by protests,” Balanetskii said.

The law on the prevention and combating of discrimination will be discussed at public debates at the Ministry of Justice on July 8.//REPORTER.MD


Publication date: 04 July 2008   

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