Creating LGBT Safe Spaces in Moldova

"We started with the idea that we need a safe space and that we could do something for the community that's open weekly, to have cultural activities and be activists through a cultural perspective," said Lorelei Grigorita, Queer Café's 24-year-old administrator.

The café, which marked its one-year anniversary in June, hosts a variety of events such as civil society talks, art exhibitions, language classes, cinema and theatre clubs, and workshops on everything from zine making to street art to Dungeons & Dragons. At least once a month, the quiet daytime space is transformed for nocturnal drag shows or parties DJ'ed by local talent.

"It inspires me a lot to see the huge steps that we are taking," said Marín Bunescu, a 22-year-old regular at Queer Café. "This space is really, really important - it's like a bit of sunlight in our dark society."

Spurred on by aspirations of one day joining the EU, Moldova has made notable progress to improve legal protections for LGBT people, as highlighted by a recent study. But anti-LGBT disinformation spread by politicians and in the Russian-language media remains prevalent, while wider acceptance in society continues to be elusive. A national survey in 2022 found that 64 per cent of respondents would prefer to "exclude" LGBT people from Moldova.

Stela Pascal, a 40-year-old documentary filmmaker, has experienced those limits of acceptance. She transitioned during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and afterward started looking for jobs as a salesclerk or secretary. In the end, she gave up her job search after a spate of bad experiences and countless rejections.

Often Pascal would initially be offered the job. "They would say, 'We are taking you on, we like you.' But when I provided my ID, they...