The GENDERDOC-M Information Centre is appalled by the series of homophobic and derogatory declarations made by Marian Lupu, speaker of Moldovan parliament and leader of the Democratic Party, during the talk-show on one of Moldovan TV channels on Monday evening, 21 May. When asked to comment on the draft law on equal opportunities, former anti-discrimination law containing controversial amendments, Mr Lupu allowed himself a number of aggressive and degrading statements against fundamental rights and freedoms of gay people, their human dignity and pursuit of equality.

In his extended answers, Mr Lupu implied that homosexuals are inferior to heterosexuals like himself unworthy of equal rights: “They are not like us. Don’t get offended! They are people, but not like us. At least I’m speaking on my behalf in this regard. I deny only the right to marry, to form a family, to adopt children, and the right to all sorts of public demonstrations and so on”.

Then, Mr Lupu made a direct humiliating comparison between homosexuality and lust: “I treat these things as lechery. This is my stance. And being sufficiently well-educated, I’d like to tell you I know that the super-developed civilisations collapsed due to the lack of morality, its loss and establishment of the norms of lechery. The Roman Empire [for example], this was exactly one of the reasons why this empire collapsed”.

Moreover, in the capacity of the third person in the state, speaker of Moldovan parliament denied gay people the right to family life and to bringing up children: I don‟t want and won‟t accept, according to my personal convictions, homosexual families [in our country]... I categorically do not want to have a change in this regard – [when] you don‟t know who the mother is and who the father is. A child should be brought up by a „he‟ father and by a „she‟ mother”.

At the end of his outrageous discourse, Mr Lupu undermined depreciated importance and urgency of the issues regarding violation of human rights of gay people and discrimination they face daily in Moldova: “This topic has to be closed effectively, rapidly and with results, and to be left on its due place. Because this is probably the 60th place in the top list of [our] priorities. I am referring here to the subject of these minorities”.

We demand Marian Lupu to publicly apologise to all gay people in the Republic of Moldova for his degrading and homophobic statements unacceptable for a high-level official who represents interests of all citizens of the country.

We call on all national and international institutions, governmental and non-governmental bodies, international missions and delegations to the Republic of Moldova and human rights defenders to condemn Mr Lupu’s homophobic discourse.

Please see below the entire transcript of Marian Lupu’s statements and links to videos.

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[English] 21 May 2012, TV show „In PROfunzime” la PRO TV Chişinău Marian Lupu, speaker of the Parliament of Moldova, leader of the Democratic Party
"They are not like us. Don't get offended! They are people, but not like us. At least I'm speaking on my behalf in this regard. I deny only the right to marry, to form a family, to adopt children, and the right to all sorts of public demonstrations and so on".

"I see a huge contradiction among those norms of the extreme . marriage, adoptions, parades, these guys in their underwear who want to manifest publicly. Thank God they will not get to manifest it. And this a great threat to the society, to the norms of morality, and to the norms of Christianity¡".

"I treat these things as lechery. This is my stance. And being sufficiently well-educated, I'd like to tell you I know that the super-developed civilisations collapsed due to the lack of morality, its loss and establishment of the norms of lechery. The Roman Empire [for example], this was exactly one of the reasons why this empire collapsed".

I don't want and won't accept, according to my personal convictions, homosexual families [in our country]. I don't see this thing. There are certain fundamental millennial values - don't forget this. For thousands of years society has been organised, and not accidentally according to these principles, to procreate, to give birth to and educate children, to ensure its own existence... Other forms of society's organisation... You know what has been before: matriarchy, patriarchy, tribal forms - everything you want - however, this is what it has come to. It means this is the form with no alternative. I categorically do not want to have a change in this regard . [when] you don't know who the mother is and who the father is. A child should be brought up by a 'he' father and by a 'she' mother".

"God forbid, I am generally fed up with the fact how much time is being allocated to debate this subject [gay rights] which I do not see. I am serious. I do not see it as a priority for our society. We do not have cases of flagrant violations of these categories. rights. I haven't seen cases at the European Court of Human Rights, [when] 20 years after the independence any gay would have appealed to ECHR claiming that the Constitution of Moldova has been breached, because he can't get employed, hasn't been admitted to university or that doctor has denied him medical services. And now I am super-fed up with these discussions. This topic has to be closed effectively, rapidly and with results, and to be left on its due place. Because this is probably the 60th place in the top list of [our] priorities. I am referring here to the subject of these minorities".

PRO TV: http://www.inprofunzime.md/stiri/...idiscriminare-nu-voi-accepta-sa.html

Radio Europa Libera: http://www.europalibera.org/media/video/24588715.html