Bulgaria’s National Assembly approved an amendment to its Pre-School and School Education Act on Wednesday, prohibiting its education system from promoting LGBTQ+ views in schools.

The anti-LGBTQ+ law, introduced four weeks ago by far-right and pro-Russian party Vazrazhdane, received an overwhelming majority in Bulgaria’s 240-seat parliament, securing 135 votes in favor, 57 against and eight abstentions.

The new law, which was swiftly passed with both readings held on the same day, specifically aims to ban any promotion, incitement or propaganda of non-traditional sexual choices and gender identifications in the Bulgarian education system. In a separate vote, lawmakers approved a different text that defined non-traditional sexual choices as choices that were different from general Bulgarian legal notions of romantic or emotional attraction between opposite sexes.

In response, many protesters, organized by feminist and LGBTQ+ organizations, took to the streets to condemn the amendment. According to several news reports, protestors were heard chanting statements such as veto the law, shame on you and we will not put up. There are no reports of violence at the protests.

The law has also faced widespread criticism from NGOs and human rights advocacy groups. LGBTQ+ NGO Forbidden Colors condemned Bulgaria’s recent law, describing it as a “blatant attack on children’s rights”. Furthermore, it described the amendment as “disturbingly reminiscent” of the anti-LGBTQ+ propaganda laws in Russia and Hungary, both of which ban any LGBTQ+ promotions to minors.

Bulgaria currently does not recognize same-sex marriage and was ranked third-worst among the 27 EU Member States for LGBTQ+ rights protection in 2024 in the most recent Rainbow Map—a map created annually by advocacy group ILGA-Europe which ranks European countries based on LGBTQ+ laws and policies.