In our constantly developing world, same-sex marriage remains one of the most controversial issues around the world. In Europe, as of March 2018, there are only 15 countries that legally celebrate and recognize same-sex marriage. Right now, Romania, a country in Southeastern Europe, is in the spotlight as it has published a referendum to denote marriage as only a union strictly between a man and a woman. In fact, the current Constitution of Romania declares that “a family is constituted on the deliberately sanctioned marriage of the spouses, on their full equality, together with the right and duty of parents to ensure the upbringing, education and instruction of their children ”. This controversy highlights the wide rift between Eastern and Western countries in Europe regarding same-sex marriages or unions and whether Romanians are really ready to redefine the interpretation of marriage into a union exclusively between a man and a woman, instead of spouses. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In recent studies, it was found that Romania only legitimized homosexuality in 2001. And to this day, same-sex marriage is still not approved. Therefore, there is no doubt that this sudden demand to amend the constitution will most likely cause difficulties for change in the near future. The referendum that is taking place in Romania is chaired by Mihai Gheorghiu, president of the pro-referendum civil society group called Coalition for the Family. According to Gheorghui (2018), in line with the Constitution, this referendum was done to preserve the representation of marriage which is limited to only one man and one woman. The Coalition for the Family firmly believes in maintaining the characteristics of being Christian and its established values ​​and traditions, which is why the group calls for this change in the constitution to be essential to support marriage and protect the family. This referendum is also strongly supported by the ruling Social Democrats, the prevailing Orthodox church supports the push to change the constitution and in Romania at this time around 85% of people are recognized as Orthodox Christians. There is also surprising support from the government which has decided to extend the voting days into two instead of one. To increase support, Mihai Gheorghiu and his group, Coalition for the Family, have acquired at least three million signatures to begin the vote increase, given that the Romanian people number less than 19 million. However, this referendum remains unacceptable for the majority of Romanians, especially those who are part of the LGBT community. Around a thousand Romanians have already taken to the streets, expressing their dismay and protesting against recent political motivations deemed to weaken anti-corruption capabilities. Furthermore, more than 40 representatives of the European Parliament expressed their disappointment to Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dăncilă for the establishment of this referendum. According to CNN (2018), through the implementation of the referendum, it is believed that this could create a hole in Romania's agreement under EU law and international human rights law, as well as intensify homophobic acts and discrimination against the gay community in Romania. Černušáková (2018), also states that if this referendum were implemented and authorized, it would have serious consequences on the lives of families. The right to family life would be curtailed as this referendum appears to be an attempt to deny them.