Rainbow Care

Through this project we can offer the following types of free services for LGBTQ+ people:

  • Individual therapy in person in Bucharest, Brasov and Timisoara, or online for the rest of the country;
  • Support groups for trans people, people from the LGBTQ+ community, or other groups with specific identities and needs, in Bucharest, Brasov and Timisoara;
  • Community meetings in Bucharest, Brasov and Timisoara, where we will discuss topics such as: how to have a healthy and balanced life as members of the LGBTQ+ community; how to provide first aid and intervene in case of emergency situations at alcohol and substance use parties;
  • Individual counselling for employment, career, navigating the health system, getting ARV (anti-HIV) treatment and other specific needs, in person in Bucharest, Brasov and Timisoara, online in the rest of the country;
  • For emergencies, temporary shelter available in Bucharest.

LGBT communities in Romania face a complex set of problems in terms of social acceptance, political rights, access to social services, access to the labour market and healthcare.
In the last two years, LGBT people have experienced

a) Housing problems, related to lack of jobs and economic crisis;

b) Problems related to domestic violence, with many students having to live with homophobic and transphobic parents;

c) Depression and psychological distress, isolation and loneliness;

d) poverty due to job losses and an unstable labour market;

e) social violence (e.g. MozaiQ has supported LGBT young people facing violence because of their physical appearance and socio-economic status, including from the police);

f) recurrent lack of HIV treatment in hospitals.

An exploratory survey conducted by MozaiQ in 2021 on the situation of transgender people in the labour market showed that 46% of respondents want to leave Romania due to the low rate of acceptance by society, 66% of working transgender adults had problems covering expenses such as food and shelter, 16% were homeless at some point in their lives, and 28% indicated that they were unemployed.
A study by FRA, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (2019), shows that 25% of transgender people in Romania experience discrimination when accessing health and social services, 50% face bullying at school and 29% have been victims of physical or sexual violence in the last 5 years, 47% of LGBT people hide their sexual orientation or gender identity at work due to discrimination: 23% have experienced discrimination at work in the last 12 months.
Because of these conditions they face, the level of mental health problems is higher in the LGBTQ+ community in Romania and specialised services are lacking.

According to the FRA (2019), 34% of LGBT people have experienced depression in the past 2 weeks. LGBT organizations have seen an increase in suicide cases in recent years. The EMIS-2017 survey shows that 21.3% of gay and bisexual men have had thoughts of suicide. One of the cases in 2022 involved a young man from western Romania who travelled to Bucharest and jumped off the Intercontinental Hotel.
Lack of HIV medication is another problem faced by LGBT people living with HIV. Due to bureaucracy, there are constant drug shortages, putting people’s lives at risk as any interruption in treatment can lead to significant medical complications.

This page was realised as part of the project called RAINBOW CARE. Increasing access to health and social services for LGBT people in Romania, run by MozaiQ Association in partnership with Eu Sunt! Tu? Association and funded by the In a Good State program, supported by Kaufland Romania and implemented by the Foundation for Civil Society Development.

www.instaredebine.ro