Human rights activists have called on the EU to clamp down on Bulgaria after MPs voted through an amendment to ban the promotion of LGBTQ+ "propaganda" in schools.
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00:00A new front is opening within the European Union in the battle over sexual identity.
00:06It follows Bulgaria's parliament's adoption by a large majority of a text which intends
00:11to ban so-called LGBT plus propaganda in schools.
00:16The law proposed by the far right wants to make material promoting of a supposed non-traditional
00:22sexual orientation illegal.
00:24For NGOs defending LGBT plus rights, the new text is a dangerous shift.
00:30After Hungary, Bulgaria is the second country in the EU who is introducing Russia's anti-LGBTQ
00:34plus law.
00:35But doing that, Bulgaria puts itself in the club of countries who is admiring Russia's
00:42anti-LGBTQ plus ideology over European norms and values.
00:48The NGO called on the European Commission to launch infringement proceedings against
00:52Sofia.
00:54The Commission's immediate response was that this was only a proposal for the time being.
01:00The text still has to go through the legislative procedure before becoming law.
01:08We remain steadfast in our commitment to tackling discrimination, inequalities and challenges
01:17faced by the LGBT individuals also as outlined in our strategy.
01:23We also have a clear stance on non-discrimination and we stand up for a union where you can
01:29be who you are.
01:31The bill comes in the midst of political chaos in Bulgaria.
01:36Voters will head to the polls this fall for the seventh time in three years.
01:41Ahead of the polls, different parties are seeking to strengthen their electoral interests.
01:48But observers say the law could cause tensions with the European Union.
01:52Two years ago, the Commission took legal action before the European courts to denounce
01:57the Hungarian law against the LGBT community.