Teachers in Bulgaria Facing Threats For Opposing Anti-LGBTQ+ Law

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Teachers in Bulgaria claim they are facing threats after signing a petition against new legislation that bans “LGBT propaganda” in schools, attributing the harassment to the far-right Revival party, which initiated the controversial law.

Kostadin Kostadinov, the leader of the Revival Party, announced this week that he would report educators opposing the law to the Prosecutor’s Office.

The law which was passed on August 7, sparked protests across Bulgaria, a conservative Balkan nation with a population of around 6.5 million. The amendment to the education code bans the “propaganda, promotion, or incitement” of LGBTQ+ “ideas and views” in schools but lacks specific details.

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The reformist coalition We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria (PP-DB) still hopes to repeal the legislation in Bulgaria’s unicameral parliament, the National Assembly.

Critics argue that the law mirrors Russia’s 2012 anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and Hungary’s similar law from 2021, both of which have been condemned by international organisations for violating human rights standards.

Bulgaria remains one of the few EU countries that does not provide equal civil rights to individuals of different sexual orientations. Last year, the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg mandated that Bulgaria create a legal framework to recognise same-sex relationships, a requirement the country has yet to fulfil.

The LGBTQ+ community in Bulgaria frequently faces verbal and physical threats, with incidents such as the 2021 attack on an LGBT centre in Sofia highlighting the dangers.

Approximately 460 teachers and educational specialists signed a petition demanding the repeal of the amended law. Around 20 of these educators from the Black Sea resort of Varna reported being targeted by the local branch of the Revival party, including on Facebook.

Ivan, a teacher who has been open about his sexual orientation for 11 years, fears the new law will encourage those who harass the LGBTQ+ community.

Martin Stoyanov, a school psychologist in Varna, recounted a late-night message from a concerned teacher who feared for their safety due to recent threats. “At some point, we’re becoming a country where it’s dangerous to express your opinion,” Stoyanov told RFE/RL’s Bulgarian Service.

On August 21, a Facebook post from an account linked to the Varna branch of the Revival party included a “black list” of local educators who signed the petition against the new law, labelling them “parasites.” A day later, Kostadinov claimed he would submit the names of about 800 teachers, whom he accused of being “criminals” advocating “homosexual propaganda,” to the Prosecutor’s Office.

The targeted teachers in Varna have received significant support. Varna’s mayor, Blagomir Kotsev, expressed solidarity with them in a Facebook post on August 22, urging them to contact him directly if they feel threatened. Pavel Popov, Varna’s deputy mayor responsible for education, condemned Revival’s call for “repressive actions against Bulgarian teachers.”

Stella Nikolova, a National Assembly member from Varna and part of the PP-DB bloc, echoed this sentiment in a Facebook post, demanding institutional action against the “fascist methods” employed by the political party.

Despite several petitions being launched to condemn the changes to the education code, Revival has not responded to requests for comment. One petition, supported by nearly 460 educators, was initiated by Boris Iliev, a teacher at the National Science and Mathematics High School in Sofia. “We have authentic arguments against the changes because our work depends on this law,” Iliev explained. He also expressed concern about the threats directed at his colleagues.

Denislava Nikolaeva, a parent, said she was shocked to see her son’s teacher named in the Revival party’s post. “We are collapsing as a society.”

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