Bulgaria's parliament passed changes to its education law Wednesday, widening its scope to ban LGBTQ "propaganda" in schools in what rights groups slammed as discriminatory.
The amendment to the law -- proposed by the country's pro-Russian Vazrazhdane party -- passed by a large majority, with 159 votes in favour, 22 against and 12 abstentions.
The law now bans the "propaganda, promotion or incitement in any way, directly or indirectly, in the education system of ideas and views related to non-traditional sexual orientation and/or gender identity other than the biological one".
Lawmakers also voted on a separate text that defines "non-traditional sexual orientation" as "different from the generally accepted and established notions in the Bulgarian legal tradition of emotional, romantic, sexual or sensual attraction between persons of opposite sexes".
Demonstrators took to the streets of the capital Sofia in the late afternoon to protest against the amendment's adoption, chanting "Shame on you" and "Stop chasing people out of Bulgaria".
Among them was Sanya Kovacheva, a 35-year-old architect who accused the country's politicians of "exploiting disinformation and surfing the wave of hatred against the LGBTQ community" ahead of elections in October.
LevFem, the left-wing feminist group which organised the rally, said the amendment would make it impossible "to combat the harassment in school of young lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people".
The rights NGO Bulgarian Helsinki Committee (BHC) had urged lawmakers not to pass the changes, saying they "breach basic human rights", including those enshrined in the country's constitution as well as EU laws and international conventions.
The law "bans the dissemination of ideas and concepts including scientific information", BHC's vice-chair Radoslav Stoyanov told AFP.
It "implicitly foreshadows a witch hunt and sanctions any educational efforts related to LGBTQ people in school education", lawyer Denitsa Lyubenova from Deystvie LGBTQ rights group wrote in a statement, calling the bill "discriminatory".
Homophobic ideas often feature in Bulgaria's political debate and in the media, as the country faces its seventh parliamentary elections in three and a half years amid serious political instability.
The Balkan country does not recognise same-sex marriage.
EU member Bulgaria also refuses to ratify the Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women, which many in the country see as a vehicle for recognition of "a third gender".
According to a recent report by the Institute for Market Economics (IME) in Sofia, "rejection and discrimination are key factors in the emigration of LGBTQ people".
In 2021, Hungary also passed a similar law, banning LGBTQ "promotion" to minors.
