Dragana Trifković: LGBT Propaganda and Child Protection in Europe – Challenges and Legal Solutions

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18/11/2025

On 18/11/2025

On November 4, an International Forum was held in Minsk: “Creating a Safe World: Dialogue on the Problems of Child Exploitation in Europe.” The participants focused on sharp and often overlooked issues of contemporary European society. Dragana Trifković, General Director of the Center for Geostrategic Studies, spoke on the topic “LGBT Propaganda and Child Protection in Europe.” We present her address in full.

Evolution of Attitudes Toward Homosexuality and Its Impact on Social Values and Education

The change in attitudes toward homosexuality in science and education has led to what is described as a “deformation of the value system.” Until 1974, in many Western countries, homosexuality was treated in psychology as a mental illness. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) removed homosexuality from the list of mental disorders in 1973, and today psychological and medical institutions recognize it as a normal form of sexual orientation.

The redefinition of homosexuality has been explained through the theory of a transformation of social morals and values toward “greater inclusivity and human rights.” Although the change in attitudes toward homosexuality directly contradicts traditional social values, engaged science justifies it as a “reflection of the evolution of values.” In this representation of reality, a complete inversion has taken place: patriarchal values have been defined as pathological, while what was once considered a mental disorder is now seen as a normal phenomenon whose public expression is presented as a step toward the evolution of human rights and tolerance. Over time, this stance has led to the aggressive imposition of LGBT ideology through public events, propaganda, and children’s education.

LGBT Statistics and Measures for the Protection of Minors

The percentage of people who openly identify as LGBT varies depending on the country, research methodology, and social acceptance. Available studies in Europe indicate that between 3% and 10% of adults identify as LGBT. In Western Europe (e.g., Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands), there is a tendency toward higher percentages (6–14%), while in more conservative countries (e.g., Serbia, Poland, Romania) the percentages are lower, around 2–4%. In the United States, according to Pew Research (2023), about 7% of adults identify as LGBT. Among younger generations, the percentage is higher, reaching 10–12%.

This trend may continue unless laws are changed in the direction of protecting children from aggressive LGBT propaganda. In order to prevent harmful influences, Russia adopted in 2013 a law entitled “Law on the Prohibition of Propaganda of Non-Traditional Sexual Relations Among Minors.” It prohibits the dissemination of information considered to promote “non-traditional sexual relations” among persons under 18 years of age.

As part of a broader package of measures applied by the Russian government to restrict LGBT propaganda, another law was adopted in 2022. This law does not apply only to the protection of children but practically to all citizens. It bans “information about non-traditional sexual relations” and “promotion of transgenderism” in all media, including the internet, for all age groups, not only minors. The restrictions also apply to educational institutions, public events, and social networks. The law prescribes severe penalties for individuals and organizations, including foreign ones, that disseminate LGBT propaganda.

Sexual and Gender Education, LGBT Events, and Social Reactions in Europe

Schools in many countries (especially in Europe, North America, and parts of Latin America) include sexual and gender education that defines “different sexual orientations” (heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual). It also involves informing students about “human rights, gender identity, and safety,” as well as promoting respect for diversity and preventing “discrimination.” The stated aim is not to “teach homosexuality” as a way of life, but to help children understand that there are “different human identities and orientations, and that every person deserves respect.” Here, too, an inversion occurs, where “gender identity” is created through psychological encouragement to express oneself contrary to biological characteristics.

In some European countries, the situation has gotten out of control to the extent that children are compelled to accept the inversion of the value system as part of mandatory measures. For example, in Vienna, LGBT-promoting events are held in the first half of June. Last year, elementary schools in Vienna required parents to dress boys in girls’ dresses and girls in trousers for a week and bring them to school in this way, in order to “support” Vienna Pride Month. At the entrance to the school, instead of the Austrian flag, the Ukrainian and LGBT flags were displayed. Rainbow colors practically occupied all public space, so that residents of Vienna could not, for instance, enter the metro without pressing a button marked with a rainbow-colored heart. Even Catholic churches in Vienna were decorated with LGBT flags in support of this project.

EU and Institutional Promotion of LGBT

These facts indicate that LGBT propaganda in Europe has reached such proportions that it has begun to affect all categories of the population, especially children. For example, countries such as Greece and Spain have legalized same‑sex marriage and child adoption, alongside the introduction of “anti‑discrimination laws in education,” which in practice impose aggressive LGBT propaganda through the educational system. EU institutions openly promote the protection of LGBT+ persons as part of their core values, while completely rejecting the idea of the necessity of protecting children from such policies. This means they support “education and protection of persons based on sexual orientation and gender identity,” thereby imposing through the policy of “tolerance” the needs of a minority that constitutes only a few percent of the population.

The EU has established numerous bodies dealing with this issue, such as ILGA‑Europe — an organization headquartered in Brussels that works on LGBT+ rights in 47 European and Central Asian countries.

The European Commission (EC) — as the EU’s executive institution — has the authority to assess the compliance of national laws with the rules of the EU Treaties, including issues of non‑discrimination. For example, the EC initiated proceedings against Hungary over a law that prohibits “LGBT propaganda” to minors. The EC also adopted the LGBTIQ+ Equality Strategy 2026‑2030, which sets the goal that all persons in the Union may be “she, he, or they.” The Rights, Equality and Citizenship program provides funds that can be used for activities combating discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. On its educational platform, the EC supports materials for “LGBTIQ‑inclusive education,” such as programs aimed at making schools more inclusive for children who are LGBT+ or perceived as such.

There is also the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) — a monitoring body within the Council of Europe that addresses issues of discrimination, minority rights, and similar concerns. Characteristically, all existing EU bodies dealing with human rights are focused on the rights of the LGBT community (which represents only a few percent of the population), while at the same time ignoring widespread and severe violations of children’s rights or, for example, religious rights of people, such as the persecution of canonically recognized churches (the population of believers being disproportionately larger).

Southeastern Europe Against the Imposition of Gender Ideology

The countries of Southeastern Europe have begun to offer stronger resistance to the imposition of “gender ideology,” with Hungary at the forefront. In 2021, Hungary introduced Act LXXIX of 2021, which contains provisions prohibiting the display and promotion of homosexuality and transgenderism to minors. In April 2022, the Romanian Senate adopted a draft bill aimed at banning the use of materials that “promote” homosexuality or transgenderism in schools. In Poland, a proposed law sought to criminalize the “final promotion or approval of sexual activities among youth,” supplementing the criminal code. In May 2023, the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party published a draft amendment to the Education Act (Protect Children, Support Parents), proposing restrictions on access to schools for NGOs providing sexual and gender education.

In Bulgaria, in August 2024, parliament passed by majority vote a law prohibiting “propaganda, promotion, and encouragement, in any way, directly or indirectly, of ideas and views related to non‑traditional sexual orientation and/or determination of gender identity different from biological sex, within the preschool and school education system.” Likewise, in Slovakia in 2024, a draft amendment to the Education Act appeared, structurally similar to those in Bulgaria and Hungary, which would ban the “promotion” of non‑traditional sexual orientation in schools. In Belgrade, one month ago, the Pride Info Center was closed, as its storefront in the city center irritated many citizens. Such a move may also lead to the cancellation of the Belgrade Pride event, which every year generates social tensions.

Conclusion

The protection of children from aggressive LGBT propaganda should be recognized as a priority in Europe. Civil organizations, together with society, should launch platforms on this issue and actively participate in shaping policy proposals that ensure the safety and protection of minors. This could influence legislative changes in Western Europe, as organized society can exert pressure on institutions to adopt socially responsible decisions. It should be borne in mind that the legal system in Europe is currently completely dysfunctional, and it is not enough merely to adopt laws — they must also be implemented in practice.

Links:

https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/5/4/565/

History of DSM and Homosexuality | APA Foundation

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5080327/

https://news.gallup.com/poll/611864/lgbtq-identification.aspx

https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/pride-month-2023-9-adults-identify-lgbt

Russian lawmakers give early approval for ban on LGBTQ ‘propaganda’ for all adults | Euronews

All Inc! Building LGBT+ friendly schools across Europe | European School Education Platform

https://euobserver.com/health-and-society/ar70d7a98b

LGBTIQ+ equality strategy 2026 – 2030 – European Commission

https://www.euronews.com/2024/02/15/greek-parliament-approves-legalisation-of-same-sex-civil-marriage

Actions for LGBTIQ equality – European Commission