There is no place for hate or intolerance messages in a healthy democracy, US Ambassador in Bucharest Kathleen Kavalec said on Tuesday at the embassy, which hosted an event during which the multicoloured flag, the symbol of the LGBTQI+ community, was raised alongside the US flag, in the context of Saturday's Pride parade for the rights and support of this community.
The United States is proud to defend the rights of LGBTQI+ people around the globe, not as a Western value, but as a universal value, the diplomat said in her speech.
As we have seen, extremist and anti-democratic movements around the world, including in our own countries, are still trying to undermine this fragile process by blaming those in the LGBTQI+ community, disseminating messages against gender identity and trying to pass laws against this community, Kavalec said.
The ambassador recalled that she first came to Romania in 2005, when the first Pride parade was organised, and paid tribute to Michael Guest, who was US ambassador to Romania from 2001 to 2004. saying that we owe him gratitude for his important efforts.
Kathleen Kavalec also spoke about the event announced on Saturday, saying that many members of the US Embassy community will join other tens of thousands to celebrate this year's Bucharest Pride parade peacefully and safely.
Labour Minister Simona Bucura-Oprescu spoke about Romanian legislation, in particular the principles of non-discrimination and the fact that the law condemns human rights abuses, while ACCEPT head Florin Buhuceanu stressed that in an ideal world, Pride parades would not be necessary.
Executive director of MozaiQ Association Vlad Viski spoke about Romania's difficult transition to democracy and the period when homosexuality was punished by law in Romania. Thus, he said, even Ambassador Michael Guest himself had been an outlaw for a few months. AGERPRES
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