LGBTQI Inclusive Education Map

The highest possible score for a country is 100, and the lowest is -15. You can expand the different sections below to understand how the score was calculated for each indicator.

Indicator scores

Sexual orientation

Gender identity and expression

Sex characteristics (intersex)

Anti-LGBTQI Measures

The Ordinance on preventing and combating discrimination (2000) covers education and includes “sex” and “sexual orientation” as protected grounds, but not GIGESC specifically.

Two new education laws, the Pre-university Education Law and the Higher Education Law, came into force at the start of the 2023/2024 academic year. When the Ministry of Education presented the new law proposals in early 2023, they included obligations to promote diversity, inclusion and tolerance and ban discrimination based on sexual orientation. This led to 13 religious groups calling for the withdrawal of provisions and protests against these changes. As a response, over 50 civil society organisations, student unions and hundreds of teachers, parents and students joined a petition to the Ministry of Education to call for inclusion, diversity, and non-discrimination in education. Following the controversy, the majority parliamentary groups deleted the explicit mentions of sexual orientation as a ground, but instead included a reference to the non-discrimination legislation (Government Ordinance 137/2000), ensuring in this way that sexual orientation is covered.

However, the new laws have become the subject of public controversy, particularly due to the inclusion of an “Educational Contract” provision. Misinformation circulated widely, with some sources falsely claiming that parents or school principals who refused to sign the contract could face substantial fines or be subjected to community service. Clauses within the law that promote diversity and inclusion were misrepresented as covert efforts to advance “gender theory” and LGBTQI rights, fueling broader anti-gender and anti-LGBTQI rhetoric.

In 2020, the Romanian Senate approved a bill that would have banned the discussion of “gender theory” and its “promotion” in schools and universities. The bill was heavily criticised by civil society, educational facilities, trans young people, the European Commission and UN mandates. The bill also encountered significant opposition from student unions at both the high school and university levels, as well as from the general public. A petition calling on then-President Klaus Iohannis to reject the law and refer it to the Constitutional Court gathered over 50,000 signatures. In response to public pressure, the president ultimately complied and submitted the law for constitutional review. The Romanian academic community also united in opposition to the bill, with representatives from across academia submitting an amicus curiae brief to the Constitutional Court, strongly criticising its provisions. (see also under Education curricula). In late 2020, the Constitutional Court ruled that the bill was unconstitutional.

Sexual orientation

Gender identity and expression

Sex characteristics (intersex)

Hostile environment

Hostile school environment and no government partnership with civil society: -5/10 | There is no evidence of the government providing funding or working in partnership with civil society: 0/10 | The government provides funding and works in partnership with civil society to promote inclusive education for one ground of discrimination: 5/10 | Two grounds: 7.5/10 | Three grounds: 10/10

Discrimination and violence against LGBTQI people remain common in Romania, as affirmed by ECRI’s 2019 report. The hostile political rhetoric against LGBTQI people and the so-called “gender ideology” has rapidly escalated over the past few years. There have been attempts to shut down any discussion on SOGIGESC issues in schools. Bullying and discrimination remain a matter of concern across the country, as also noted by ECRI.

In 2023, the Ministry of Education proposed two new Education Laws to replace the National Education Law, which aimed to promote diversity, inclusion, and tolerance, and ban discrimination based on sexual orientation. The proposals were met with opposition, leading to the majority in parliament removing explicit references to sexual orientation in the new law.

According to the 2024 EU LGBTIQ Survey III by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, 73% of LGBTIQ individuals in Romania avoid holding hands with their same-sex partner in public, a significantly higher rate than the EU average of 53%. Additionally, 69% of respondents reported being bullied or harassed at school due to their sexual orientation or gender identity, and 60% of LGBTIQ students in Romania conceal their identity in the school environment. Furthermore, 46% of respondents frequently or always avoid certain places due to fear of being bullied.

There are no established LGBTQI student groups in place in schools or universities, aside from the efforts of local LGBTQI organisations, which operate without backing from schools or state funding. Student organisations, particularly those at the university level, are generally open to collaborating with external LGBTQI organisations.

In 2021, the Campus Pride project sought to establish community centers for LGBTQI students in cities such as Bucharest, Timișoara, and Cluj-Napoca. However, these centers were located off-campus and lacked support from official institutions.

A report from Campus Pride assessed the level of LGBTQI visibility and inclusion on Romanian university campuses. It found that at 34% of faculties, homophobic discourse has been used. 81% of trans respondents stated that their university and its staff do not respect their gender identity. However, testimonials showed that there are an increasing number of allies among colleagues and professors, making Romanian students optimistic about the future.

In 2022, a teacher suggested showing the film "Close in schools, " sparking outrage among some parents who petitioned against it, labeling it as "LGBT propaganda." This controversy reignited public discussions condemning the LGBTQI community and raising concerns about minors' access to information on such topics.

The government does not provide funding or actively partner with NGOs in relation to education. This includes a lack of support for initiatives aimed at fostering inclusive educational environments and promoting the rights and well-being of LGBTQI learners.

Legal gender recognition without self-determination

Legal gender recognition with self-determination (over 16)

Legal gender recognition with self-determination (under 16)

No gender recognition provisions: 0/10 | There are laws and provisions, but with legal/medical/psychological approval: 5/10 | There are laws for self-determination, but only for those over 16 years of age: 7,5/10 | There are laws on gender self-determination, including those under 16 years of age: 10/10

Legal gender recognition (LGR) is in place in Romania, but only accessible through judicial court proceedings. There are no clear legal criteria or requirements for individuals seeking to update their gender markers on official documents in Romania; the outcome remains entirely at the discretion of the judge presiding over the case.

In 2021, the European Court of Human Rights found in the cases of X and Y v. Romania that a mandatory surgery requirement is a violation of the right to private and family life. The Court held there was a lack of a quick, transparent and accessible LGR procedure. Despite the X and Y judgments, Romania has yet to establish a legal gender recognition procedure that is accessible, transparent, and predictable.

In February 2024, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) heard the case of Case C-4/23 Mirin v Romania , involving a Romanian-British trans man who had legally changed his gender marker and name in the UK but faced challenges in having these changes recognised in Romania. In October, the CJEU ruled that Romania, along with all other EU Member States, must recognise and automatically transcribe changes in name and gender marker made through legal gender recognition in another Member State. The court emphasised that this process must occur without the need for additional procedures, ensuring seamless recognition of gender identity across the EU.

No information is available about policies or practices allowing trans students to use their correct name and gender in primary or secondary schools. At university level, the Polytechnic University of Timișoara has implemented an inclusive practice that allows students to choose the names displayed on their student email addresses, supporting name self-determination rather than automatic allocation based on ID information.

There are some universities that allow trans students to use their correct name on official documents and institutional email addresses, but these practices are not supported by formal policies and instead depend on the willingness of individual institutions or staff members.

Sexual orientation

Gender identity and expression

Sex characteristics (intersex)

There is no evidence of support systems specifically designed for LGBTQI learners: 0/10 | Direct or indirect support systems are provided by schools or local authorities, but the providers lack training in LGBTQI-related issues: 0/10 | Direct or indirect support systems are provided by schools or local authorities for one ground of discrimination: 5/10 | Two grounds: 7.5/10 | Three grounds: 10/10

Each school has a trained psychologist acting as a counselor, but these counselors do not receive training on SOGIGESC issues, apart from sporadic workshops. There is typically only one psychologist assigned to multiple schools, which significantly limits their availability to students. Moreover, these professionals often have limited or no training related to supporting LGBTQI youth. Some organisations provide sex education in collaboration with schools and/or regional General Directorates of Social Assistance and Child Protection, and these programmes occasionally include information on SOGIGESC topics.

The new Education Law introduces a provision obligating schools to offer information, counselling, and support services to both staff and students. These services aim to prevent all forms of violence within the school environment, including bullying, cyberbullying, and harassment.

Support services are provided by several organisations across the country, including Identity Education in Timișoara, [H]Brașov in Brașov and ACCEPT in Bucharest.

Asociația Pride organises different community events and a monthly support group for LGBTQI young people in Cluj-Napoca.

ACCEPT provides support services for LGBTQI people and their families, such as counseling and support groups.

MozaiQ LGBT Association runs a dedicated program for LGBTQI youth and students called Campus Pride, which directly addresses the specific needs of LGBTQI young people. The program includes community events, scholarship schemes aimed at reducing dropout rates among LGBTQI students with multiple vulnerabilities (such as those from rural areas or trans youth), support groups, mentorship opportunities, professional training sessions, and youth camps.

MozaiQ also operates Q Center, an LGBTQI community center offering a wide range of services including social counselling, free psychotherapy, community event spaces, a free shop, and a library. Additionally, MozaiQ provides an emergency shelter service for LGBTQI individuals who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

In Iași, the LGBTQI initiative group LOUD Iași runs its own Campus Pride community center, offering similar services such as community-building events, scholarship programs for LGBTQI students, mentorship schemes, professional training, and support groups.

In Brașov, TransCore and [H]Brașov co-manage a youth-led LGBTQI community center called Q Haus, which provides a safe space for young people, organises community events, and facilitates peer support groups.

None of these vital initiatives currently receives any form of state funding.

The Polytechnic University in Timisoara has an Inclusion department that works on cultural inclusion topics and DEI awareness, and has also been present visibly at the Timisoara Pride (Pride TM) in 2024. Their student counselling department also creates online awareness materials for students.

Local authorities and school districts provide support for victims of bullying, but not for LGBTQI young people in any targeted way.

View the map scored by indicator

Grounds of discrimination

Here is the country's score for each ground of discrimination on which we based our observations for 8 of the 10 indicators presented above.

Sexual orientation

Gender identity and expression

Sex characteristics (intersex)

See the map scored by ground of discrimination

Country score evolution

2025

/100

2022

/100

2018

/100

To enable a meaningful comparison of country progress over time, we have retroactively aligned the scoring systems used in the 2018 and 2022 Editions of IGLYO’s LGBTQI Inclusive Education Index with the updated 2025 scoring criteria. While each edition of the research has built on the previous one, reflecting evolving standards and priorities in inclusive education, minor changes to indicators and scoring weights were introduced in 2022 and 2025 to improve clarity, consistency, and comprehensiveness.
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By recalculating the earlier scores according to the 2025 framework, we have tried to ensure comparability across all three editions and provide a more accurate picture of progress, stagnation, or regression in each country’s approach to LGBTQI-inclusive education. For this reason, you might find some scores in the PDF Report & Index 2018 and 2022 differing from those on the Education website for these two years.

Good practices

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/100

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YEAR

/100

2022

Europe Average

30.6

/100

European Union Average

41.6

/100