Meet Simeon from the Bulgarian organisation, GLAS Foundation, co-host of our Annual Conference

Simeon Vasilev, Chairman and Co-Founder of GLAS Foundation, one of the three Bulgarian LGBTI organisations co-hosting the ILGA-Europe Annual Conference in Sofia this month. Here Simeon talks about the recent elections in Bulgaria and what the possible outcome will mean for LGBTI people in the country. 

“We are hoping that this gathering will help to put a focus on Bulgaria.”

Simeon Vasilev

Hi Simeon! Can you tell us what it means for your organisation to co-host ILGA-Europe’s Annual Conference in Sofia this year?

Beyond the great honour of being a host country for a second time in ILGA-Europe’s herstory, we are hoping that this gathering will help to put a focus on Bulgaria. Despite being part of the EU for so many years, we are drastically behind many other member states when it comes to legal protection and rights. For GLAS foundation, which I lead, it’s also a great opportunity to elevate our skills and competences and broaden our networks. We are glad to have a chance to put into practice so much of what we have learned from organising large scale events like Sofia Pride in the last couple of years. It also means strengthening our relationship with ILGA-Europe and not least – another great work flow with your team!

“This period of time has made the local LGBTI community more politically engaged.”

Simeon Vasilev

Originally, the decision to celebrate the Annual Conference in Sofia was made in 2019 but it was postponed it for well-known reasons. What key changes or events have taken place for the LGBTI movement and communities in Bulgaria ever since?

The major key change during that time has been the political environment. In 2021 alone, we had four elections. Again, this month another national election took place. It’s a constantly changing political flora and fauna, but I do believe it’s for the good. During that time our community centre – the Rainbow Hub, which we run with Bilitis foundation, was physically attacked by a far-right political candidate. We were later kicked out of the premises by other landlords.

However, the response of the local and international community was heart-warming. We managed to secure a new place with the donations we raised. I also think this period of time has made the local LGBTI community more politically engaged, which we have been advocating for a long time. It should be noted that in 2019 we had around 3,500 people at Sofia Pride, and this year we had over 12,000. This number alone speaks loudly for the recent progress during the last two or three years.

The GERB party has won the parliamentary elections and they will form a coalition. How do you expect this will affect LGBTI people’s rights and communities and organisations?

The GERB party have been silent or complicit to nationalist parties in the past and I don’t expect a major shift to happen among their leadership. It will be far more alarming if they make a coalition with the fourth party in votes – the ultranationalist, anti-EU and anti-Western Revival (Vazrazhdane). This would be a wake-up call for their EU political partners. I’m cautiously optimistic that the democratic liberal parties, second and sixth in the last elections, will be more vocal on the LGBTI rights.

The ILGA-Europe Annual Conference takes place in Sofia, Bulgaria from October 19-22. To learn more about Glas Foundation, visit their website here.

See also

Blog

ACCEPT – Strength in solidarity and a call for change

The Romanian LGBTI organisation, ACCEPT plays an important role in co-hosting the ILGA-Europe conference this year. Co-president Teo Ion-Rotaru shares her insights into what the […]
read more
Blog

Meet our Annual Conference hosts: MozaiQ – The courage to grow the movement in Romania

As the ILGA-Europe annual conference approaches, we turn our focus to one of the local co-hosts, MozaiQ, an organisation that has played a crucial role […]
read more
Blog

Annual Conference logo launch: The Power of Curaj

Learn about the courage captured in our branding for this year’s ILGA-Europe conference As we launch our new logo for the ILGA-Europe conference in Bucharest, […]
read more
Blog

Interview with Denitsa Lyubenova: Bulgaria’s LGBTI crisis and what the international community can do to help

Amidst growing oppression, Bulgarian activists rally for LGBTI rights and call for European solidarity Bulgaria has recently passed a draconian law banning “LGBTI propaganda” in […]
read more
Press Release

Bulgaria passes anti-LGBTI propaganda law

ILGA-Europe have condemned a fast-tracked law banning the portrayal of LGBTI identities in Bulgarian educational institutions, warning that it is an attack on children’s rights and […]
read more
News

Joint Statement: European Court confirms requirement for legal gender recognition in Bulgaria despite rejected complaint

TGEU, ILGA-Europe, Bilitis, and the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee welcome the European Court of Human Rights’ confirmation of Bulgaria’s obligation to provide for reliable legal gender […]
read more
Report

Our submission to the EC 2024 Rule of Law report

Over the past few years it has become increasingly clear that many government-led violations of LGBTI rights in EU Member States go hand-in-hand with an […]
read more
Blog

The ILGA-Europe Annual Conference 2023 in Pictures

In October we gathered together with 450 activists from across Central in the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana for the ILGA-Europe for the ILGA-Europe Annual Conference. […]
read more
Blog

Creating our Annual Conference logo

As we get ready for our Annual Conference in October, we’re excited to share the collaborative design process for our Ljubljana 2023 visual identity.
read more
News

Bulgaria’s Supreme Court Rejects Baby Sara’s Bulgarian Citizenship

Arguing that Baby Sara is not a Bulgarian citizen, the country’s Supreme Administrative Court (SAC) said that their decision not to grant a birth certificate […]
read more
Report

Our submission to the EC 2023 Rule of Law report

The submission covers developments in eight EU Member States as regards rule of law developments in the countries which have had an impact on the […]
read more
Blog

Our Annual Conference 2022: Photo Essay

Our Annual Conference was hosted in Sofia by the Bulgarian LGBTI organisations, Bilitis Foundation, Deystvie and Glas Foundation. We would like to thank them for […]
read more
Blog

#IESofia2022: Daily Report, Saturday October 22

As our Annual Conference sadly wound to an end, over 300 participants enjoyed one last day of workshops and celebrated the election of the new ILGA-Europe board, before the Gala Dinner and one last dance together. Here’s a round-up of the final day!
read more
Blog

#IESofia2022: Daily Report, Friday October 21

We began the day imagining the future of collective resilience, as part of the work of ‘shaping the world to come’, which is the theme […]
read more
Blog

#IESofia2022: Daily Report, Thursday Oct 20

Our Annual Conference has well and truly kicked off in Sofia where hundreds of dedicated LGBTI activists from all over Europe and Central Asia are […]
read more
News

Annual Conference 2023: Location Announcement

As we get ready to travel to Bulgaria for the ILGA-Europe annual conference in Sofia next week, we’re delighted to announce that the city for next year’s conference has been chosen.
read more
Blog

Meet Denitsa from the Bulgarian organisation Deystvie, co-host of our Annual Conference

Denitsa Lyubenova is co-founder of Deystvie, one of the three Bulgarian LGBTI organisations co-hosting the ILGA-Europe Annual Conference in Sofia this month. Here Denitsa talks about the recent elections in Bulgaria and what the possible outcome will mean for LGBTI people in the country.
read more
Blog

Meet Lilly from Bilitis in Sofia, co-host of ILGA-Europe’s Annual Conference

Lilly Dragoeva is the Executive Director of Bilitis, one of the three Bulgarian LGBTI organisations co-hosting the ILGA-Europe Annual Conference in Sofia this month. Here Lilly talks about what it means to have the largest European LGBTI activism conference in her country. 
read more
News

Theme for the ILGA-Europe 2022 Conference Announced.

As ILGA-Europe gears up in the organisation of our Annual Conference, which takes place in Sofia this October, the theme ‘Shaping the World to Come’ […]
read more
News

Bulgarian Court Rules Baby Sara Must Be Issued Birth Certificate

A Bulgarian court has ordered city hall authorities in the capital city of Sofia to issue a birth certificate to the baby born to a […]
read more
Blog

How Baby Sara and her mums have pushed forward the rights of all rainbow families across the EU

When an EU country recognises a child and its same-sex parents as a family, all EU countries should recognise them as such, so to guarantee their freedom of movement. This is what the EU’s top court ruled in December. But how this case has advanced LGBTI rights in the European Union and what comes next for rainbow families?
read more
Case Law

Judgment in Case Stolichna obshtina, rayon ‘Pancharevo’

Child, being a minor and a Union citizen, whose birth certificate was drawn up by the host Member State and designates as parents two persons […]
read more
Press Release

Top EU Court Recognises Relationship of Same-sex Parents and their Children Under EU Law

In a landmark judgement, the Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled that a child and its same-sex parents must be recognised as […]
read more
Blog

What We Learned at Europe’s Largest Online LGBTI Conference

Evelyne Paradis, Executive Director of ILGA-Europe reflects on the annual Gathering, the online version of Europe and Central Asia’s LGBTI conference, and what it affirmed for the movement at this time of momentous change.
read more
Blog

The stark situation for LGBTI rights in Eastern Europe and Central Asia

Hungary and Poland have been in the spotlight a lot for their anti-LGBTI policies, but they are not the only countries where political leaders are acting against LGBTI communities. Here, we take a look at the political situation for LGBTI people in Eastern Europe and Central Asia in the first half of 2021.
read more
Podcast

Rainbow Family Rights in Europe – Part 2: Baby Sara, Stateless Child

We meet Kalina and Jane, from Bulgaria and the UK respectively. Because their daughter Sara was born in Gibraltar, she cannot claim UK citizenship via […]
read more
Press Release

European Court must rule in favour of a child at risk of statelessness and her family’s freedom of movement in the EU, say leading LGBTI rights organisations

Authorities in Bulgaria have not recognised the valid EU birth certificate of the child of a same-sex couple. On February 9, the Court of Justice of the European Union must clarify that if you are a parent in one EU country, you are a parent in every EU country.
read more
Blog

“If You Are Parent in One Country, You Are Parent in Every Country”: But still today a child can be stateless in the EU just because it has two mothers

A baby born to two mothers, one from Gibraltar and one from Bulgaria, has become a test case at the European Court of Justice for the freedom of movement of rainbow families in the EU. Read on and find out how to join our campaign for parents without borders!
read more
Blog

An evolving movement: What we learned from Europe’s largest LGBTI Gathering

The virtual replacement for ILGA-Europe’s annual conference, The Gathering Online 2020, was the largest coming together of LGBTI activists from across Europe and Central Asia since Covid-19 began, and a new collective agenda became fully apparent. ILGA-Europe’s Executive Director, Evelyne Paradis, reflects on a ground-breaking experience.
read more
Podcast

The Frontline: Bulgaria and the Spread of European Anti-LGBTI Populism

“Attitudes towards LGBTI people are changing and changing fast,” says activist, Lilly Dragoeva from the Sofia-based Billitis Foundation, in this episode of The Frontline, which […]
read more