The bill, which amends the Pre-school and School Education Act, passed despite domestic political turmoil caused by the repeated failure to form a new government in Bulgaria following an inconclusive general election in June.

Bulgaria is the second European Union country, following Hungary in 2021, to enact such a law.

In total 135 MPs out of 240 voted for the amendment, which prohibits “the imposition of ideological and/or religious doctrines”.

It also restricts “propaganda, promoting, or inciting in any way, directly or indirectly, ideas and views related to non-traditional sexual orientation and/or the determination of gender identity other than biological.”

Drafted by Revival, a small pro-Russian party, the amendment won the support of the leftist Bulgarian Socialist Party, a Turkish centrist party, parts of the pro-EU GERB party, the biggest party in the Bulgarian parliament, and some independent MPs.

Parliament also passed a second amendment, with a narrower majority, defining “non-traditional sexual orientation” as “deviating from the generally accepted and established notions in Bulgarian legal tradition of emotional, romantic, sexual, or sensual attraction between persons of opposite sexes.”

Protests erupt

The passing of the amendments triggered immediate protests outside the parliament, organized by human-rights activists and supporters of the centrist parties.

LevFem, a left-wing feminist group involved in the protests, said that the key amendment would severely impede efforts to address the harassment of young lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students in schools.