Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Moldova face legal and social challenges and discrimination not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents.

Since then, however, pride parades have encountered stiff opposition from authorities and religious leaders, and have often been cancelled or banned due to safety concerns.

A successful pride parade took place in May 2018 in Chișinău, after police officials protected the participants from violent radical Orthodox groups.

By 2023 Moldova had climbed to the 23rd place, its rise in ranking due to continued expansion of anti-discrimination laws with regards to sexual orientation and gender identity.

Article 11 of the law, entitled the Codul serviciilor media audiovizuale al Republicii Moldova, states that "audiovisual programs are prohibited: ... from propagating incitement, promotion or justification of racial hatred, xenophobia, anti-Semitism or other forms of hatred founded on intolerance or discrimination based on sex, race, nationality, religion, disability or sexual orientation.

"[9][10] In 2023, The Parliament of Moldova passed Law No.2 (2023) which included sexual orientation and gender identity among grounds protected from "any kind of discrimination".

[11] Transgender people are allowed to change their legal name and gender on official documents in Moldova, but require a psychiatric diagnosis confirming their "transgenderism" to do so.

[4] Moldovan society remains very conservative; politicians often make derogatory remarks about the LGBT community, and discrimination against its members is commonplace.

[13] In May 2017, a survey by the Pew Research Center in Eastern European countries showed that 92% of Moldovans believed that homosexuality should not be accepted by society.

For example, the Ministry of Health communicated in an official letter that homosexuality is not considered a disease, and medical services are accessible to all, regardless of the sexual orientation of the citizen.

[5] Scott Lively, a vociferous opponent of gay rights who has linked homosexuality to having played a part in the spawning of the Rwandan genocide and the Holocaust, visited Moldova in 2010 to oppose an anti-discrimination measure.

In May 2019, Doina Ioana Străisteanu, a human rights lawyer representing Moldova's only LGBT organization, GENDER-DOC, since 2010, was the victim of an arson attack.

[3] The banning of the pride parade and the crackdown of freedom of assembly drew criticism and concern internationally, including by the then British Foreign Secretary, David Miliband.

Police officials cancelled the event shortly after it started due to safety concerns because fundamentalist Orthodox groups began attacking pride participants.

[30][31] In June 2011, Moldova used its seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council to vote against the first successful UN resolution condemning discrimination and violence against individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity.