Rights of the LGBT community have always been debated in the country, where homosexuality was illegal until 2000. When a similar proposal called on a ban to gay marriages, rights group including Amnesty International were able to avert the amendment in 2013. Romania had to decriminalise the law after receiving harsh criticism from the European Union and the Council of Europe. However, it does not recognise same-sex unions, be it in the form of civil unions or marriage.

While Italy will become the next major European country to legalise same sex marriages, around 20 other countries include EU member nations have legalised civil unions between same-sex couples.

On 28 April, Columbia legalised gay marriages, becoming the fourth and the latest country in Latin America to pass the law.