"At the first march in 2005, there were 100-200 people, and others were throwing tomatoes, bricks, whatever they could find. There were more gendarmes than actual participants in the march. Now, in 2023, there were 25,000 people in Bucharest", says Alex Zorilă, founder of the Vulgar Association, in an interview with MyImpact.

"Every year it gets better. I know we tend to be pessimistic about this, but it does get better, society is opening up. Teachers can be more open with their students. At work, people are super okay with you being LGBT in certain contexts. Not all of them. We still have a lot of work to do, but it’s much better than it was in 2015, for example", she says.

The first Diversity March, held in 2005, was marked by numerous incidents between participants and anti-gay activists gathered by the Noua Dreaptă movement. In subsequent years, although counter-protests continued, only isolated incidents occurred.

The "Diversity March", organized by the Accept Association, has since transformed into "Bucharest Pride", the Romanian version of the global Gay Pride march. Bucharest Pride is the largest event, but other cities in the country also organize similar parades on a smaller scale.

Gay Pride is the name under which several events and activities celebrating the culture, identity and rights of the LGBTQ+ community are grouped. The aim is to promote acceptance and equality, raise awareness of the community's issues, and combat discrimination and homophobia.

The Gay Pride movement began in the USA, linked to the riots on June 28, 1969. Customers of the Stonewall Inn bar resisted a police raid, triggering protests that led to the formation of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. The first Gay Pride parade took place in 1970, marking the anniversary of the riots.

June is known worldwide as Pride Month and is celebrated with parades, cultural events and discussions promoting LGBTQ+ rights. It commemorates the Stonewall riots and is a time of reflection, celebration and activism for the LGBTQ+ community.

Recent statistics show that the global LGBTQ+ population is increasing, especially among younger generations. For example, an IPSOS survey from 2024 reveals that 17% of Generation Z members identify as LGBTQ+, compared to 11% of Millennials, 6% of Generation X, and 5% of Baby Boomers.

One possible explanation for the increasing number of people identifying as LGBTQ (including in Romania) is the growing tolerance of societies towards sexual minorities, whose members now feel safe to express themselves. This is partly due to the exposure of LGBTQ themes in pop culture—films, music and other forms of art.

In other words, the LGBTQ+ community has not "multiplied"; rather, the number of those daring to identify as such has increased as society's tolerance level rises.

The IPSOS survey, conducted in 26 countries, also shows that, in terms of geographical distribution, Asia has the largest LGBTQ+ population (59.1% of the global total), followed by Africa (18.2%).

The global LGBTQ+ population was estimated at approximately 251.2 million people in 2023.