Moldovan lawmakers have voted to repeal that country’s Russia style ban on so-called homosexual propaganda despite the country’s Orthodox Church and Communist Party joining forces against them.

Radio Free Europe reports that Orthodox Christian activists and dozens of Opposition Communist MPs tried to block the entrance of Moldova’s Palace of the Republic in Chisinau to try to stop the Moldovan Government from passing new LGBT anti-discrimination – laws but lawmakers were able to overturn the ban on gay propaganda regardless.

Overturning the ban is the first step in passing the anti-discrimination law as otherwise the Government could be found to be in breach of its own law.

The Moldovan Government repealed the ban in the hopes of being offered an EU Association Agreement at the Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius, Lithuania next month.

The Russian aligned Orthodox Church in Moldova even threatened lawmakers with banning them from taking communion if they passed the anti-discrimination law.

Earlier this month Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of exporting homophobia to other former Soviet Union countries in an attempt to retain control over them.