Here are some highly effective, but easy ways to engage your local candidates for the European Elections with the Come Out 4 Europe campaign towards LGBTI freedom and equality across the EU

The upcoming European Parliament elections in June 2024 present an opportunity for candidates to declare their support for LGBTI freedom and equality in the EU and beyond. ILGA-Europe’s campaign, Come Out 4 Europe, is not just a call to action. By signing the pledge on the campaign website, candidates clearly communicate their support for LGBTI voters and allies. It shows that they recognise and acknowledge the demands for steps toward equality. In this blog, we share six low-effort but highly efficient tips designed to mobilise candidates and encourage them to commit to protecting and advancing LGBTI human rights by singing the Come Out 4 Europe pledge.

1. Send them a letter

You can begin by kindly inviting the candidates in your country to sign the pledge. Use our letter example as a basis, adding your unique voice and perspective, or translating it into your national language. Personalised communication with a simple call to action can create genuine connections with politicians.

2. Request a Meeting

Contact your candidate and request a meeting to talk to them about the pledge. At the meeting, present a printed out version of the pledge for them to read. When talking, be polite and firm, but not confrontational. Present facts and figures you have gathered (see above), but also give them personal stories – let them know how real people are being affected. At the end of the meeting, having again asked them to sign the pledge, thank them for their time.

3. Be loud on social media

In a world dominated by digital discourse, social media is a potent tool for advocacy. Use your online presence to actively engage with candidates on various platforms. Amplify the visibility of signed pledges by sharing updates from the Come Out 4 Europe website, tagging candidates and their parties, stimulating a ripple effect of awareness and momentum. Employ simple strategic tactics such as encouraging friendly competition between parties by saying which ones are doing best, and which ones could do better, and spotlight countries that are either excelling or have the potential to improve their numbers of pledge signatures.

4. Leverage your network

Use your pre-existing relationships and affiliations within your community. Reach out to the candidates or political party staff you might know and persuade them to sign the pledge. Turn to your friends, friends of friends, allies, and fellow activists who have connections to the candidates and encourage them to do the same. Attend local events and forums where candidates congregate, such as campaign launches or hustings, and have a friendly conversation – the pledge can serve as a conversation starter with a candidate looking for votes.

5. Mobilise allies

Expand your community, mobilising allies and comrades to enhance our collective voice. LGBTI rights are human rights and even movements whose primary focus lies elsewhere can be amplifiers of this campaign for change. Talk to activists from diverse groups, asking them to participate. Encourage them to actively engage on social media platforms, disseminate campaign updates, and champion the cause. Every interaction, such as a like, share, or retweet, can help candidates realise that the improvement of the human rights of LGBTI people is a political goal they should strive for in the current climate.

6. Use ILGA-Europe’s resources

Explore ILGA-Europe’s extensive collection of resources to give you the right things to say to candidates. From the pledge itself to the in-depth Annual Review of the Human Rights of LGBTI People in Europe, which gives information about how LGBTI human rights are at stake in your country, and the Rainbow Map, these resources can provide you with facts and numbers when you talk or write to your candidates. Equip yourself with facts and compelling arguments drawn from these sources, empowering candidates with the knowledge and conviction to champion LGBTI people’s human rights.

And remember… follow up!

Deciding how you are going to follow up is important. For instance, if you have personally engaged with a candidate and they haven’t signed the pledge, you could phone their office to give a reminder. Or if they seem to not have taken notice of your social media engagement and not signed the pledge, follow up with another message. Don’t be confrontational and don’t bombard. Just a message or two over the coming months is better than going overboard or not messaging at all. If a candidate you engage with signs the pledge, don’t forget to thank them, ask them to share the fact they’ve done it, and to pass the pledge on to other candidates in their parties.

We have the power to influence the future direction of Europe. Let’s unite our efforts, utilise our resources, and encourage candidates to show support for the LGBTI community. Together, let’s work towards securing freedom for LGBTI people in the Europe we want to see.

Reach out to us at comeout@ilga-europe.org if you need support or if you require communications materials

We, the undersigned equality and anti-discrimination organisations, call on the European Union’s leaders and European Institutions to ensure equality, anti-racism, and fundamental rights are a priority during the next legislative mandate.

We noted the advances in Equality which have been made by the European Union during this mandate. The appointment of the first-ever Commissioner for Equality was a welcome and much-needed initiative. It has shown that the European Commission is committed to advancing the values of equality enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on the European Union and to its duties under Article 10 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

Equality and non-discrimination policies and initiatives became more visible and were addressed through several proposals such as standards for equality bodies, a Directive to combat violence against women, a legislative proposal on the European Disability Card and Parking Card, the action plan against racism, and a proposal for cross-border recognition of parental rights. These initiatives were coupled with strategies on gender equality, LGBTIQ and disability, as well as the EU Roma strategic framework and a Green Paper on Ageing.

However, the EU is far from being a Union of Equality- this is a work in progress, and right now, we witness rising backlash, racial injustice, inequality and discrimination. This needs urgent attention both at the EU and national levels.

For this, we specifically call on the European Union to put in place comprehensive legal protection against discrimination in the EU. We need to guarantee equality of treatment regardless of who you are or where you live in the European Union.

We also call on specific actions to guarantee that the European Union’s Institutions have adequate resources and staffing to prioritise and mainstream equality and non-discrimination, with special attention to vulnerable groups and intersectional discrimination:

• Appoint an EU Commissioner with a strong mandate for Equality and Fundamental Rights.
• Strengthen the European Commission’s services working on equality, non-discrimination and anti-racism, especially by establishing a new Directorate-General for Equality and Fundamental Rights.
• Revise and introduce strong strategies on all grounds under the Equality Framework beyond 2025 and ensure their mainstreaming in all policy areas.
• Ensure that the Equality Task Force has a strong mandate to ensure cooperation between different services on the implementation of the Equality Frameworks and that it works transparently and in close consultation and cooperation with European Equality networks.
• Host an annual “Equality Forum,” gathering policymakers, civil society, and other interested actors to evaluate and develop initiatives for realising a Union of Equality. The Forum should focus particularly on intersectional equality.
• Create an EU Council formation on Equality.
• Ensure the next EU budget properly funds civil society organisations working on equality, non-discrimination and anti-racism.
• Ensure discrimination is also addressed in the work of the EU in external action, international cooperation and humanitarian action.

We remind leaders that all initiatives must meaningfully involve equality organisations, anti-racism organisations and organisations representing the groups most subject to discrimination.

It is essential that the Union’s decision-making process is transparent, and organisations are properly resourced and supported to guarantee their active involvement.

It is also fundamental to ensure that staff working at the EU Institutions properly reflects the European population, not only in terms of nationality but also in terms of diversity of gender, race, ethnic or social origin, membership of a national minority, disability, age,  sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and variations of sex characteristics. We call on specific action to ensure it and to guarantee training to all staff training on equality and non-discrimination.

Only by working together will the European Union truly become a Union of Equality that reflects its motto of “United in Diversity”.

The undersigned organisations remain committed to supporting the European Institutions in achieving this crucial objective.

Signatories

• European Disability Forum
• ILGA-Europe
• AGE Platform Europe
• European Network Against Racism
• ERGO Network
• OII Europe
• IGLYO
• EL*C
• TGEU – Transgender Europe

Additional Information

• Joint statement: “Building an inclusive European Union of Equality” in Word
• Joint statement: “Building an inclusive European Union of Equality” in PDF

Organisations’ work on the European elections:

• European Disability Forum: “”Building an inclusive future for persons with disabilities in the EU”
• ILGA Europe: “Come out 4 Europe”
• AGE Platform Europe: AGE Manifesto for the 2024 European Parliament elections
• European Network Against Racism: “A Europe for All”
• ERGO Network: “End Racism to build a stronger Europe”

We call on the members of the European Parliament to reject the “Prostitution Report”. The criminalisation of any aspect of sex work further compromises vulnerable groups, increases risks of violence, and will not combat human trafficking and forced labor. This proposal isn’t the solution, we need to protect women and all sex workers. Read our joint open letter.

We, the organisations united under the European Coalition on Sex Workers’ Rights and Inclusion, call on all Members of the European Parliament to reject and to vote against the report Regulation of prostitution in the EU: its cross-border implications and impact on gender equality and women’s rights, 2022/2139(INI).

Our organisations are leading civil society networks and human rights organisations. We have decades of experience and expertise in addressing women’s rights and gender equality, human rights, sexual and reproductive health and rights, HIV, harm reduction, the rights of LGBTI people, digital rights, human trafficking, migration, racial justice and criminal justice. Within these numerous fields of expertise, all 13 organisations have come to the same conclusion: criminalisation of any aspect of sex work, which is proposed by this report, does not protect the rights of women and others engaged in sex work for manifold reasons, and does not help address the very serious issue of human trafficking and forced labour. It is only by adopting a human rights-based approach, decriminalising all aspects of sex work, and meaningfully including sex workers and sex workers’ human rights defenders in decision-making, that people selling sex, including victims of sexual exploitation, can be protected and serious human rights violations against people selling sex experience can be addressed.

We consider the submitted report, which will be put to a vote in plenary on September 14, to be biased and harmful for people selling sex and other vulnerable groups for the following reasons:

• The report calls to punish sex workers’ clients (Para 9, 22, 38) and make it a criminal offence across the EU to solicit, accept or obtain a sexual act from a person in exchange for remuneration, the promise of remuneration, the provision of a benefit in kind or the promise of such a benefit (so-called Nordic model). 
• While proposing the adoption of this model of criminalising the client (introduced, for example in Sweden, France, and the Republic of Ireland), the report ignores the body of evidence^[1] on its negative impacts on human rights of people selling sex. Sex workers report increased precarity and vulnerabilities to violence and infectious diseases (including HIV) and reduced trust in authorities. Sex workers face increased stigma, barriers to accessing services and justice, and increased risks of homelessness in countries where such criminalisation is in force.
• This report ignores the fact that a similar provision is currently under review by the European Court of Human Rights for alleged violations of Articles 2, 3 and 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights in the case of M.A. and 261 others vs France^[2]. On August 31 2023, without ruling on the merits at this stage, the Court declared the application admissible after acknowledging that the applicants were entitled to claim to be victims, within the meaning of Article 34 of the European Convention on Human Rights of the alleged violation of their rights under Articles 2, 3 and 8^[3] and dismissed the Governments’ preliminary objections. The Court, in its decision acknowledges that “the applicants produce evidence tending to show that the clandestinity and isolation induced by this criminalisation increase the risks to which they are exposed” (Para 38).
• The report also denounces the effects of the legalised model (introduced in Germany, the Netherlands, Austria), but fails to consider the latest legal and policy developments such as the full decriminalisation of sex work in Belgium in 2022, which was adopted based on evidence, and recommendations of human rights organisations, UN agencies and meaningful consultation with sex workers, to better protect sex workers’ human rights and more effectively combat human trafficking.
• The report further misinterprets the findings of multiple health studies. The studies  referenced^[4] in Recital K directly contradict the call to punish clients and criminalise the purchase of sex. These calls are also opposed by numerous UN agencies, such as the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)^[5], the World Health Organization, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), and the UN Development Program (UNDP).
• The report misinterprets the definition of trafficking in human beings as set out in Article 2 of Directive 2011/36/EU. According to the report, the “consent of a victim of trafficking in human beings to the exploitation, whether intended or actual, shall be irrelevant where it is obtained through the giving or receiving of payments or benefits“. The quote, however, omits the second part of the sentence. The full text reads that the consent of the victim of trafficking is irrelevant “where it is obtained through the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person. In other words, for trafficking there must always be a third party involved who exercises one of the coercive or deceptive means for the purpose of exploiting that person. The exchange of sexual services (or any other service) between consenting adults is not trafficking. It becomes trafficking when, simply said, person A gives or receives payments or benefits to obtain the consent of person B who has control over victim C with the aim of exploiting victim C.
• The report makes further claims related to human trafficking which are not based on evidence. For example, it claims that trafficking for sexual exploitation is increasing when the latest available data^[6] published by the European Commission actually show a slight decrease in the number of identified victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation in the EU. It also claims that countries which have criminalised the purchase of sex (such as Sweden, Ireland, and France) are “no longer big markets” for trafficking for sexual exploitation, when this is not the case – the Eurostat data^[7], again, does not support such a conclusion.
• The report further denies a particular group of women (women who sell sex) their right to bodily autonomy (Paragraph 11, Recital C) by rendering void consent to sexual acts which involve payment or receipt of benefits. Criminalising the purchase of sex denies an entire group of people (most of whom are women) the right to make decisions about their lives. Similarly, the March 8 Principles by International Commission of Jurists (ICJ, 2023)^[8] unequivocally opposed such criminalisation due to its detrimental effects on the human rights of people selling sex. This can lead to dangerous assumption that women who sell sex, in fact, cannot be raped.
• The report further calls for the introduction of criminal sanctions against anyone who profits from prostitution (Recital AK). This proposal fails to distinguish between conduct that is exploitative, abusive, or coercive, and activity that is personal, practical, and supportive or for the purposes of safety of people selling sex. This practice leads to the criminalisation of sex workers sharing premises for safety. It is also routinely used to evict people selling sex from their homes and apartments as landlords can be criminalised for ‘profiting from prostitution’. For some EU MS, like Portugal, the proposed definition has been recognized as unconstitutional^[9].

In June, the prestigious health journal The Lancet^[10] called on you to vote against this report as it is based on false or misleading information and would be harmful to the people it claims it wants to protect. Likewise, we, as feminists and women’s rights advocates, human rights defenders, service providers, researchers, and NGOs with decades-long experience, urge you to vote against the report “Regulation of prostitution in the EU: its cross-border implications and impact on gender equality and women’s rights, 2022/2139(INI).

Brussels, September 5, 2023

Signed by

• Amnesty International
• Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice
• European AIDS Treatment Group
• La Strada International
• ENAR
• The European region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA-Europe)
• Transgender Europe (TGEU)
• Human Rights Watch
• International Planned Parenthood Federation – European Network (IPPF EN)
• PICUM
• Correlation-European Harm Reduction Network (C-EHRN)
• ESWA
• AIDS Action Europe

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^[1] Ireland: “We live within a violent system.” Structural violence against sex workers in Ireland – Amnesty International (2022), W922-0152-WPS-Policy-Paper-6-singles.pdf (lse.ac.uk) (2022), What do sex workers think about the French Prostitution Act? (hal.science) (2019), Assessment of impact criminalisation of purchasing sexual services | Department of Justice (justice-ni.gov.uk) (2019), https://www.icj.org/icj-publishes-a-new-set-of-legal-principles-to-address-the-harmful-human-rights-impact-of-unjustified-criminalization-of-individuals-and-entire-communities/ (2023)

^[2] See the preamble of the report: having regard to the ongoing communicated case 63664/19, 64450/19, 24387/20 et al. of the European Court of Human Rights of 12 April 2021, see also the case file: M. A. ET AUTRES c. FRANCE et 4 autres affaires (coe.int)

^[3] See also the Court’s decision on admissibility  M. A. AND OTHERS v. FRANCE (coe.int)

^[4] Platt, L. et al., ‘Associations between sex work laws and sex workers’ health: a systematic review and meta-analysis of quantitative and qualitative studies’, PLOS Medicine, Vol. 15, No 12, 2018.,

Wong, S., ‘Decriminalising sex work would cut HIV infections by a third’, Imperial College London, 24 July 2014.

^[5] HIV and sex work — Human rights fact sheet series 2021 | UNAIDS

^[6] Trafficking in human beings statistics – Statistics Explained (europa.eu)

^[7] Statistics | Eurostat (europa.eu)

^[8]https://www.icj.org/icj-publishes-a-new-set-of-legal-principles-to-address-the-harmful-human-rights-impact-of-unjustified-criminalization-of-individuals-and-entire-communities/

^[9] Profit is not a criminal offence, judges have held that “a person’s decision to engage in prostitution may constitute a full expression of his or her sexual freedom”. And they argue that it is unconstitutional to punish with jail time those who profit from the prostitution of other persons practiced of their own volition. https://www.publico.pt/2023/05/09/sociedade/noticia/movimento-trabalhadores-sexo-elogia-decisao-tribunal-constitucional-2049084

^[10] https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)01179-0/fulltext

The EU is now an LGBTIQ Freedom Zone, as declared by the European Parliament. This is great news, but real action must be taken to make this a lived reality for LGBTI people across the EU.

On 11 March 2021, in response to the proliferation of over 100 so-called ‘LGBT-Free zones’ in Poland, the European Parliament voted and declared the EU an LGBTIQ Freedom Zone. While it’s a strong symbolic gesture, this will not have any positive impact in LGBTI people’s lives unless it’s followed by meaningful actions and measures at EU and national levels.

Across the EU, we are witnessing a stark rise of hate against LGBTI people. In our recently published Annual Review, we reported an increase of hate speech from political, religious leaders and on social media in several countries of the region. Additionally, the COVID-19 crisis has made vulnerable communities even more vulnerable.

It’s not only in Poland and Hungary that LGBTI people and communities need protection. Earlier in March, a gay man was murdered in Beveren, Belgium, having been lured via a dating app to a park, where he was attacked by three teenagers. Declaring the EU an LGBTIQ Freedom Zone is not enough: this strong statement must be followed by actions that bring real change to LGBTI people and communities in the region.

Here is how LGBTI people’s lives are negatively affected in every single member state of the European Union:

Austria

There is no protection against hate speech or hate crimes based on gender expression, gender identity and sexual characteristics.

Belgium

Hate and violence are on the rise. A gay man was brutally murdered on March 6 in Beveren. Three teenagers allegedly stabbed him to death after luring him into a fake date arranged on a dating app.

Bulgaria

Children of a same-sex couple can lose one parent just by crossing an EU border. A child of a same-sex couple is currently at risk of statelessness as Bulgarian authorities have not recognised the baby’s valid EU birth certificate.

Croatia

There is an increase of hate speech and violence. In February 2020, an effigy of two men kissing and a child was burnt at a festival, weeks after the country’s highest court ruled that same-sex couples could become foster parents.

Cyprus

The reform of legal gender recognition has been stalling for years now.

Czechia

Sterilisation is required to access legal gender recognition. A case law from the European Court of Human Rights on the matter has been waiting for years now to be implemented.

Denmark

The country failed to ban unnecessary surgeries and treatment on intersex infants and minors, despite multiple United Nations’ recommendations.

Estonia

Attacks on civil society have increased. Despite recommendations from the UN Human Rights Committee in 2019, no progress has been made to include sexual orientation and gender identity in the hate speech and hate crime legislation.

Finland

Trans people are required to be sterilised before accessing legal gender recognition.

France

The number of hate crimes against LGBTI people increased in 2020, for a fourth consecutive year, according to SOS Homophobie. Two LGBTI children, who were bullied at their schools, committed suicide.

Germany

Same-sex couples cannot adopt. Legal gender recognition legislation is outdated and its reform has been stalling for years.

Greece

The latest amendments to immigration legislation have restricted the rights of LGBTI asylum seekers. In January 2020, a booklet was distributed by the Church in the Athens Holargos high school, saying that being “homosexual” is a “hateful act” and that LGBTI people were “traitors” and “murderers”.

Hungary

The Hungarian Parliament banned legal gender recognition in May 2020. The following December, it also voted to abolish the Equal Treatment Authority, Hungary’s most important equality body. Bookshops selling the children’s book ‘Wonderful is for Everyone’, which depicted diverse families and characters, were labelled as promoters of homosexuality and their staff were threatened. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán commented on the book saying that homosexuals should “leave our kids alone”.

Ireland

The country witnessed deeply worrying cases of hate crime and violence. A young gay couple was beaten up and stubbed in Kildare in February 2020. In September, a video on social media showed ten students from a Dublin private school verbally assaulting a classmate who had recently come out.

Italy

There is no legal protection against discrimination outside the labour market on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Latvia

In January 2021, the Latvian Parliament started examination of the constitutional amendment seeking to restrict the extension of the concept the concept of family. The country does not recognise same-sex partnerships and still requires trans people to be sterilised before having access to legal gender recognition

Lithuania

Partnership is not recognised. Politician and LGBT rights activist, Tomas Vytautas Raskevičius (Liberty Party) secured a seat in parliament during the autumn elections. When he wanted to be chair of the human rights committee, he was received with homophobic hate and threats.

Luxembourg

In July 2020, the town of Esch-sur-Alzette announced it would prohibit shared flats if those cohabiting are not relatives or partners, which would forcefully out many same-sex couples and could be used in a discriminatory manner.

Malta

The Equality Act has not been implemented yet.

Netherlands

Schools have the right to ask parents to sign a statement rejecting a homosexual lifestyle, as long as the school ensures a safe environment for all pupils. During the summer, over 60 cases of discrimination and violence against LGBTIQ asylum seekers were reported.

Poland

In Poland, over 100 towns have declared themselves ‘LGBT-free zones’. Officially led hate speech and scapegoating of LGBTI people continue to be on the rise. In August 2020, 48 people protesting the detention of LGBTI activist Margot Szutowicz were also arrested. Partnerships are not recognised.

Portugal

There is no legal protection against discrimination outside the labour market on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Romania

The CJEU judgement in the Coman case, which three years ago established that same-sex spouses are fully recognised as spouses under the EU freedom of movement directive, has to this day not been enacted by the Romanian state, and the partner of Adrian Coman still has not been granted a residence permit in Romania, leaving other same-sex couples in similar situations in limbo. There is no partnership recognition and trans people are still required to be sterilised before having access to legal gender recognition.

Slovakia

The country still requires trans people to be sterilised before having access to legal gender recognition.

Slovenia

Non-governmental organisations in Slovenia are increasingly targeted by the government’s restrictive measures and hostile rhetoric. Leading the government, the radical right Slovenian Democratic Party and PM Janez Janša direct their hostility especially towards NGOs engaged in independent cultural production and defending human rights, media freedom and the environment.

Spain

There are very harmful debates at the moment around the Trans Law. A group of trans people and their families are on hunger strike since March 2021. They will continue until the proposed legislation is debated at the Spanish House of Representatives.

Sweden

At the initiative of the right wing populist party Sweden Democrats, the municipality of Hörby put forward a new policy banning raising the rainbow flag on municipal flagpoles. The local church responded by displaying the rainbow flag on their flagpole. The policy was later withdrawn, but follows a similar and successful ban passed in 2019 in Sölvesborg.

The ambition is right, but the reality is very different, says leading European LGBTI rights organisation

In response to the proliferation of over 100 so-called ‘LGBT-Free zones’ in Polish municipalities, the European Parliament today is debating a resolution declaring the EU an LGBTIQ Freedom Zone. It’s a strong symbolic gesture, but clear action needs to follow to make this a lived reality, according to ILGA-Europe.

The European Parliament (EP) in this weeks plenary session will debate and adopt a Resolution declaring the European Union (EU) an LGBTIQ Freedom Zone. Europe’s leading LGBTI organisation, ILGA-Europe, say much work needs to be done to align the resolution with the truth of LGBTI people’s lives in Europe.

According to Katrin Hugendubel, Advocacy Director with ILGA-Europe: “It is great to see the European Parliament wants the EU to be an ‘LGBTIQ Freedom Zone’, in other words a space where LGBTIQ persons can be who they are and love whom they love, free and safe. At ILGA-Europe, our day-to-day work reminds us very clearly that a lot still needs to be done to makes this a reality across the EU. We need to see more concrete action, from the European Commission, the European Parliament, the European Council, as well as national governments and policy-makers, and from regional and local authorities.”

Last month, ILGA-Europe published its ‘Annual Review of the Human Rights Situation of LGBTI People in Europe and Central Asia 2021’, clearly setting out how far the reality of LGBTI people across the EU is from living in a ‘freedom zone’.

Beyond the stories about Poland and Hungary, which have made most of the anti-LGBTIQ headlines in recently, there are so many ways in which the EU and its member states are falling short of ensuring LGBTI are free and equal in the EU, including:

• Member states such as Portugal and Italy have yet to legislate to protect LGBTI people against discrimination outside the labour market.
• The CJEU judgement in the Coman case, which three years ago established that same-sex spouses are fully recognised as spouses under the EU freedom of movement directive, has to this day not been enacted by the Romanian state, and the partner of Adrian Coman still has not been granted a residence permit in Romania, leaving other same-sex couples in similar situations in limbo.
• Children of a same-sex couple can lose one parent just by crossing an EU border, while the recent case of a child born to a same-sex couple not being recognised by the Bulgarian authorities, currently leaves that child stateless.
• Two years after the introduction of the first LGBT-free Zones and Family Rights declarations in Poland, the EC still has not brought infringement procedures against the Polish government, even though such declarations clearly infringe on the principle of non-discrimination set out, for example, in the EU employment directive.
• Only Malta, Portugal and some regions in Spain have banned non-medically necessary surgeries on intersex children.
• The Czech Republic, Finland, Latvia, Romania and Slovakia still require trans people to be sterilised before having access to legal gender recognition, while Hungary last year abolished any procedure to have legal gender recognition for trans people recognised.

Hugendubel added: “To ensure the EU will become a true LGBTIQ freedom zone, the Commission has to make full use of all tools in its box. It should ensure full implementation of all relevant EU directives and CJEU judgements in every member state. It should ensure that all member states spend EU funding in full respect of the principle of non-discrimination and respect for fundamental rights. It has to hold EU governments accountable to the principles set out in the EU treaties and the Charter for Fundamental Rights.”

According to Evelyne Paradis, Executive Director of ILGA-Europe: “It is great to see clear commitments to LGBTIQ equality from the European Parliament through this resolution, as well from the European Commission through the ‘EU LGBTIQ Equality Strategy’. Now that the EU is an LGBTIQ Freedom Zone, we need to see all actors using the full range of tools at their disposal to ensure that respect of LGBTIQ rights is guaranteed. Otherwise there is a big risk of losing credibility.”

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For further comment, contact: Ana Muñoz Padrós, ILGA-Europe: ana@ilga-europe.org, +32 493 35 60 55

In March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic went global, we worried that equality would slip off EU agendas as lockdowns and an unprecedented economic crisis took hold. In this episode of The Frontline, we look back at the extraordinary year that was 2020, and the engagement of the EU in LGBTI equality issues, exacerbated during the coronavirus crisis.

Our Executive and Advocacy Directors, Evelyne Paradis and Katrin Hugendubel look back on what surprisingly turned out to be a successful year for EU engagement. Activists from ILGA-Europe member organisations in Slovenia and Hungary talk about the rise of ultra-right populism in both EU countries, Hungary’s slew of anti-LGBTI laws as the virus raged on, and their respective responses to EU institutional engagement and how it can go forward.

Members of the EU Parliament’s LGBT Intergroup, MEP’s Terry Reintke (Greens/EFA, Germany) and Maria Walsh (EPP, Ireland) give an inside view on the year gone by, and reflect on a challenging first year for the new Intergroup. It all adds up to a comprehensive look at the EU and its engagement in equality, in a Europe where LGBTI rights have become a sharp dividing line.

Listen below or click here to listen and subscribe to The Frontline on your favourite podcast platform.

ILGA-Europe congratulate Ursula von der Leyen on being the first woman ever elected president of the European Commission – a historic step forward for gender equality in Europe.

With the highest voter turnout the European elections has seen since 1994, so too arrives the largest number of MEPs elected committed to LGBTI equality.

ILGA-Europe is ready to work with the 215 MEPs from eight different political groups who signed our ComeOut  pledge and thus promised to actively protect and progress the human rights of all LGBTI people in Europe and beyond concretely at EU level.   

“There is both a strong will and urgent need for LGBTI equality to be a definitive political priority over the next five years at EU level. This is clear, not just from the sheer number of MEPs that have pledged to work with us, but also from commitments made by the main political party leaders. A first crucial order of business is to harness all this support to make sure that LGBTI equality features explicitly as a priority of the next EU Commission in the form of a robust and comprehensive EU strategy on LGBTI human rights.” said ILGA-Europe’s Executive Director, Evelyne Paradis.

With over 1650 candidate signatures across all EU Member States, ILGA-Europe’s ComeOut campaign showed how much support for LGBTI equality has grown within the EU, and this amidst an increasingly polarised social and political climate at both national and supranational levels.

“It is truly encouraging to see the large number of candidates from many different political groups who rallied around our call for equality. In today’s world, cross-party support is the best response to anyone who fuels polarisation and division. It is a clear sign that our work is about standing up for inclusive and fair societies” said Paradis. “We look forward to working with our ComeOut elected MEPs through a re-established LGBTI intergroup which will not only ensure solid, strategic and meaningful collaboration across parties, but also hopefully build strong alliances with other groups in the Parliament to secure human rights, freedom and equality for all in the EU.”

What can MEPs who signed the ComeOut pledge concretely do to advance LGBTI equality?

Over the next five years, we will need strong efforts from the European institutions, ensuring full protection against discrimination for LGBTI people and finally advancing the protection of human rights of trans and intersex people.

ILGA-Europe needs our supporters to lend all their support to ensure that the EU Commission adopts a strong EU strategy on LGBTI equality. Within this framework, we will need the active support of MEPs on the following specific policy and legislative priorities as outlined via ILGA-Europe’s ComeOut pledge:

• Work to close gaps in legal protection on grounds of sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics in the areas of anti-discrimination, hate crime and hate speech
• Support adoption of concrete policies for trans and intersex people in the EU
• Ensure that concrete measures are taken to effectively stop online hate speech, including against LGBTI people
• Ensure the adoption of measures which raise protection for LGBTI asylum seekers, including the adoption of the reformed Common European Asylum System
• Ensure the effective implementation of last year’s Coman judgement which confirms that freedom of movement should be equally available to same-sex couples and their families
• Support the work of LGBTI organisations and human rights defenders by ensuring continued, accessible EU funding, by actively challenging any restrictions to civil society space and to the rule of law, and by holding EU member states accountable to their commitments.
• Bring underrepresented voices of the LGBTI community to the table, and raise awareness about their issues placed on the EU agenda.
• Harness their influence as an MEP to advance human rights, equality and inclusion for all both within and beyond the EU, whilst engaging with activists and civil society organisations is crucial.

The European Elections are approaching at a fast pace, and our campaign activities are picking up speed!

In February, ILGA-Europe launched the ComeOut campaign with the No Hate Appeal completing the campaign package. More than 100 candidates from 15 countries have already pledged to Come Out for human rights and LGBTI equality.

Now we are announcing the European elections series of webinars providing tools, inspirations and good practices to support LGBTI organisations’ work around elections.

On 5 April, ILGA-Europe will kick off the series with an interactive webinar on campaigning, agenda setting and alliance building for LGBTI activists focused on EU elections. We will look into the experience of activists around Europe and discuss strategies for reaching out to candidates, building alliances and for putting LGBTI rights on the agenda!

You will hear from activists from KPH (Poland), ILGA Portugal and COC Netherlands

The webinar will take place on Friday 5 April 2019 from 11.00 to 12.30 CEST (Central European Summer Time).

REGISTRATIONS CLOSED

For more information on our campaign and to get involved, follow our hashtag #ComeOut4EU

ILGA-Europe and 21 other civil society organisations and unions today launch #ElectNoHate, our joint call for EU elections campaigning free from hate speech and divisive rhetoric, which legitimise hateful actions and pose a threat to human rights.

MEP candidates, politicians, the media and those in the public eye are asked not only to avoid engaging in, or amplifying, rhetoric that may incite discrimination, prejudice or hatred on any grounds, but also to actively counter it.

The diversity of organisations behind this appeal – working across the EU for justice in the areas of human rights, labour rights, development and the environment – reflects how hate speech and divisive rhetoric inextricably pervade and threaten all aspects of our lives, most notably in the context of populism and extremism.

“At a time when hate speech and divisive rhetoric cause a worrying backlash and backsliding for all human rights across Europe, ILGA-Europe considers it crucial to unite with a broad and diverse alliance of organisations to take a clear stand against hate speech and divisive rhetoric targeting any community.” commented ILGA-Europe’s Executive Director Evelyne Paradis.

She added: “The protection of one group must never be used as an excuse for discriminating against others. This is why all EU election candidates signing ILGA-Europe’s ComeOut pledge are also requested to sign the #ElectNoHate appeal.”

In Europe and elsewhere, recent evidence highlights how hate speech and divisive rhetoric lead to harm in everyday life.

A 147% spike in homophobic and transphobic hate crimes (1) and a 41% increase in the number of racially or religiously aggravated crimes (2) following the Brexit referendum campaign is a stark example of this. Women – who are in general 27 times more likely than men to be harassed online (3) – also experience exceptionally high levels of violence in politics, with 85.2% of women reporting having suffered psychological violence while in office. (4)

The list of signatories are as follows:

• Amnesty International Europe
• A.R.T Fusion Romania
• Associazione Crea
• Corporate Europe Observatory
• Culture Action Europe
• European Alternatives
• European Disability Forum
• European Movement International
• European Network Against Racism
• European Roma Grassroots Organisations Network
• European Trade Union Confederation
• Fern
• Friends of the Earth
• Greenpeace
• Human Rights Without Frontiers
• IGLYO
• ILGA-Europe
• IPPF European Network
• Light for the World International
• Riksförbundet För Sexuell Upplysning
• Social Platform
• TGEU

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1. ?The Hate Crime Report 2016: Homophobia, biphobia and transphobia in the UK [Galop, 2016]
2. Hate crime, England and Wales, 2015 to 2016 [UK Home Office], https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hate-crime-england-and-wales-2015-to-2016
3. #HerNetHerRights: Mapping the state of online violence against women & girls in Europe [European Women’s Lobby, 2017],https://www.womenlobby.org/IMG/pdf/hernetherrights_report_2017_for_web.pdf

Today, as Europe faces a social and political climate of uncertainty and polarisation, ILGA-Europe formally launches ComeOut – our campaign for the 2019 Eu elections.

From 23 – 26 May, the public will vote in Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), who over the next five years will act as the voice of more than 500 million Europeans.

The very core values on which the EU is founded – respect for human dignity and human rights, freedom, democracy, equality and the rule of law – are being called into question.

Human rights – in particular, those of LGBTI people – are facing a forceful challenge.

The time for an EU that defends its own values is now. 

ILGA-Europe seeks to unite the voices of fellow civil society organisations, activists and the public at large in our call for a Europe that defends all human rights.

We are asking MEP candidates to sign our ComeOut pledge publicly, committing them to:

• Strengthening protection in EU law and policy
• Ensuring an enabling environment for LGBTI human rights defenders
• Ensuring EU leadership on LGBTI rights
• Harnessing the power of their position
• Being an ally to under-represented voices

Yesterday evening in Strasbourg, candidates from all major EU political parties (EPP, S&D, ALDE, GUE/NGL, Greens-EFA) were the first to officially sign the pledge.

“While the legal and policy situation for LGBTI people has progressed in some areas of Europe, backlash and backsliding have occurred in others – largely as a result of stagnation,” commented ILGA-Europe’s Executive Director Evelyne Paradis.

“We urgently call on candidates for the European Parliament to step up against the current threatening wave of populism and extremism, and make a commitment to protecting, supporting and empowering the citizens they represent, and their fundamental rights.”

• For more information on our campaign and to get involved, follow our hashtag #ComeOut4EU.
• Download the Come Out Pledge in PDF version and start calling the candidates in your country to sign it.
• Watch the launch event that took place in the European Parliament in Strasbourg on 13 February:

Press Statement: Today, on 14 February 2019, the European Parliament has adopted a landmark Resolution on the Rights of Intersex People.

By adopting this resolution, the European Parliament sets a clear standard within the European Union for the protection of intersex people’s bodily integrity and human rights. The resolution complements the ground-breaking 2017 intersex resolution ‘Promoting the human rights of and eliminating discrimination against intersex people’ adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

“We applaud the European Parliament for issuing this outstanding resolution”, says Kitty Anderson, Co-Chair of OII Europe. “It is clearly based on an in-depth knowledge about the human rights violations that intersex people face in within the European Union.”

“ILGA-Europe enthusiastically celebrates this historic resolution as the fruit of enormous labour on the part of intersex activist across Europe”, adds Evelyne Paradis, Executive Director of ILGA-Europe.

In its resolution, the European Parliament “strongly condemns sex-normalising treatments and surgery” and encourages Member States to adopt legislation that protect the bodily integrity of intersex people “as soon as possible”. It also confirms that intersex people are “exposed to multiple instances of violence and discrimination in the European Union” and calls on the European Commission and the Members States to propose legislation to address these issues.

Other issues addressed by the resolution include the need of adequate counselling and support for intersex people and their families, measures to end the stigma and pathologisation intersex people face and increased funding for intersex-led civil society organisations. During the debate which preceded the voting, the members of the European Parliament almost unanimously spoke in favour of the resolution and emphasised that “human rights violations experienced by [intersex people] are significant” and that “there is nothing unhealthy about being intersex”.  Minister Delegate George Ciamba, in his statement for the Romanian presidency, confirmed that “extending the right to equal treatment to intersex people is entirely within the spirit of our common European values and of our common campaign for inclusiveness”.

“This resolution is setting a standard within the European Union”, says Dan Christian Ghattas, Executive Director of OII Europe. “To date the United Nations treaty bodies have reprimanded EU Members States 22 times. Ten times alone in the past two years. A 2019 German study which compares the annual numbers of so-called ‘normalising surgeries’ on children from age 0 to 9, shows no decrease of these interventions – despite the fact that in Germany intersex human rights violations have been addressed since the nineties and have been increasingly in the open and on the political agenda since the CEDAW recommendations issued in 2008. We need Member States and the European Commission to step up. On a European level we need a clarification that intersex people are protected against the discrimination and other human rights violations they face and are explicitly included under the protective ground of “sex”.”

“Putting an end to genital mutilation of intersex infants and children is a matter of urgency and the European Parliament is very clear about that,” states Miriam van der Have, Co-Chair of OII Europe. “As for the EU Member States, the EP resolution has set a clear agenda for the next steps that they need to take to protect intersex people’s rights: Member States need to establish legislation that prohibits unconsented non-vital medical interventions; they need to include intersex people in anti-discrimination legislation and to implement measures that establish adequate non-pathologising counselling and support for intersex children and adults and their families; and they need to increase funding for intersex organisations because these are key in raising awareness about intersex people’s needs.”

• OIIEurope and ILGA-Europe were consulted by the LGBTI Intergroup and the LIBE Committee of the European Parliament in preparation of this resolution.
• This is a joint press statement of OII Europe and ILGA Europe.

Today the European Parliament adopted two lgbti resolutions clearly calling for a strong agenda for the protection and furtherment of LGBTI equality and human rights in the next European Commission’s term. 

The passing of a resolution on the future of the LGBTI List of Actions unites the European Parliament with 19 member states, who in December signed a call initiated by the Maltese government calling for an EU LGBTI strategy for 2019 – 2024.

“In the current political climate where LGBTI strategy both in the Council and the European Parliament are challenged by a small but loud opposition, this strong call by the European Parliament for the European Commission to not sway but to ensure an even stronger commitment to work on LGBTI rights in the future, is very much needed”, says Katrin Hugendubel, Advocacy Director of ILGA-Europe. 

The resolution clearly calls on the Commission to ensure that LGBTI human rights are given priority in its work programme for 2019-2024, and to develop a LGBTI strategy for its next term, in consultation with the European Parliament and civil society organisations.

The European Parliament reiterated one of the demands ILGA-Europe sets out in its ComeOut pledge  campaign for the European Parliament elections, which was launched today.

“The last five years showed clearly that a strategic commitment such as the LGBTI list of actions allows the European Commission to be more ambitious in its work on progressing LGBTI equality. It is important to build on the progress of the list of actions in the next term,” notes Evelyne Paradis, Executive Director of ILGA-Europe.

Second resolution on intersex rights

A second historical resolution adopted today focuses on the human rights of intersex people. Here, the European Parliament is not only acknowledging the ongoing human rights violations intersex people still face in the EU today, but also sets out clearly what needs to be done both on national and EU level, such as ensuring protection against any form of discrimination under the ground “sex” and putting in place legislation  that will finally ensure a protection of intersex people’s bodily integrity. 

Addressing the first candidate signatories of the ComeOut pledge, Secretary of OII Europe Kitty Anderson said “When the resolution was announced, I got messages all over Europe from intersex activists saying they felt heard and protected.”

“This is a monumental step forward for the rights of intersex people and is something we can truly build on.”

“Intersex rights need to be clearly integrated into all work of the EU institutions in the future, and the future LGBTI strategy needs to set out clearly how the European Commission will work to ensure the full protection of intersex human rights, including supporting member states in putting in place legal protection of intersex people’s bodily integrity,” Paradis adds.

• Read more about the common paper prepared by the Maltese government and signed by 19 member states in December 2018, calling for continued efforts within the EU to ensure full protection of LGBTI rights.
• See OII-Europe and ILGA-Europe’s join statement from earlier today about the landmark resolution on the rights of intersex people. 
• Yesterday evening in Strasbourg, candidates from all major EU political parties (EPP, S&D, ALDE, GUE/NGL, Greens-EFA) were the first to officially sign our Come Out Pledge. Read more about our brand-new campaign for the European Parliament elections here. 

This morning, 489 MEPs voted in favour of an instrument to support civil society organisations which promote democracy, rule of law and fundamental rights. 

Over 500 LGBTI organisations are members of our ILGA-Europe family – and the message coming from many of them for the past few years has been undeniable. Their work is getting harder, much harder.

Their ability to organise events with their local LGBTI community, as well as working in alliances for human rights and the rule of law in their countries, is reducing.

This is happening all over Europe – it’s not a problem that only exists outside the EU. We repeat: this is problem for the EU too.

And it’s not just ILGA-Europe who have observed this phenomenon – in January 2018, the FRA’s new report recognised shrinking space at an institutional level for the first time and said it needed to be urgently addressed.

One very practical way to better support civil society groups who are experiencing obstacles (whether direct or indirectly) is more flexible funding. There are several great mechanisms  available for human rights defenders reworking outside the EU’s borders, including from DG NEAR and DG Devco – but nothing similar for EU-based civil society to turn to.

That is why ILGA-Europe is delighted to see that MEPs in Strasbourg today in a resolution clearly call for a funding mechanism for human rights organisations working in the EU. The European Parliament has shown that it understands the realities faced by activists working to create positive change in their communities. I

In her intervention in the debate in plenary on Tuesday, Commissioner Jourova also voiced her support for such an instrument and it is now up to the European Commission to include a European Values Instrument in its proposal for the next Multi-annual Financial Framework (or MFF). Such an instrument should allow for direct support for national organisations working on human rights and democracy in a flexible manner.

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Great to see EP supporting call from civil society across EU for #EuropeanValuesInstrument. Over to the EC now @GOettingerEU @VeraJourova https://t.co/VQHbxG1wsj

— Katrin Hugendubel (@khugendubel) April 19, 2018

YES! The European Parliament just voted with a big majority in favour of creating a fundamental values instrument to support civil society. We have to defend fundamental rights, rule of law and democracy! pic.twitter.com/Ll9Qwr5V0N

— Terry Reintke (@TerryReintke) April 19, 2018

Today, representatives from EU institutions met with human rights activists in Brussels. Our Executive Director Evelyne Paradis was at the High Level Group on Non-Discrimination, Equality and Diversity, and shared her thoughts after this afternoon’s discussions.

“Over the past two years, we have seen how the European Commission’s List of Actions for LGBTI equality have initiated important activities and cooperation by DG Justice. All of us – member states, the European Parliament, the European Commission and civil society – now need to plan for an even stronger engagement of the whole European Commission beyond 2019.

How can we do this?

As a first step, we need to become even better in coordinating between different initiatives of the Commission in the various DGs. Together, we need to ensure the full implementation and use of existing EU legislation that protects LGBTI rights. And, more than ever, we must ensure that there is direct support for the important work civil society is doing in difficult environments across member states defending human right and the rule of law. 

In this context, we urge the EC to include a funding instrument to support civil society organisations working on human rights in EU member states, under the internal policy priority in its proposal for the next multiannual financial framework.

The debate with member states representatives, Commissioner Jourova and civil society organisations today (as part of the High-level group on non-discrimination, equality and diversity) was an important first step in ensuring that the List of Actions has an even stronger impact in the coming years.

ILGA-Europe looks forward to lots more similar occasions in 2018, where we can all come together and ensure even closer cooperation and increased impact, improving the lives of LGBTI people in the EU.”

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• Download the European Commission’s latest report on the List of Actions here.

The European Parliament today adopted a non-binding resolution, which urges the European Commission and members states to fully implement the Free Movement Directive.

On the rights of LGBTI people specifically, the resolution on protection and non-discrimination with regard to minorities in the EU Member States (2017/2937(RSP)), inter alia:

• Encourages the Commission to take more resolute steps to combat LGBTI discrimination and homophobia, including concrete legislative measures, while respecting the competences of Member States; recommends monitoring LGBTI rights and providing clear and accessible information on the recognition of cross-border rights for LGBTI persons and their families in the EU; considers that Member States should duly invest in providing targeted education at different stages in order to prevent bullying and combat homophobia in a structured manner;
• Urges the Commission to ensure that Member States correctly implement the Free Movement Directive, consistently respecting, inter alia, the provisions related to family members and prohibiting discrimination on any grounds; and
• Calls on the Commission to take action in order to ensure that LGBTI individuals and their families can exercise their right to free movement in accordance with both Article 21 of the TFEU and Article 21 of the EUCFR.

The Free Movement Directive gives citizens of the EU’s 28 member states the right to free movement across the European Union. This includes their direct family members, children and spouse. In practice, however, spouses are often denied this right.

A spokesperson for ILGA-Europe said: “We welcome the Parliament’s resolution and call on all Member States to ensure that the rights of LGBTI people and their rainbow families to free movement across the EU are respected and upheld. We hear of too many cases where the free movement rights are restricted or denied.”

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ILGA-Europe published ‘Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Families and the Free Movement Directive: Implementation Guidelines’, which are available online. 

Today the European Parliament adopted the Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy in the World 2016. It included a call to EU institutions and bodies to continue efforts to promote and protect the human rights of LGBTI people. 

The first article of the report recognises and expresses concern about “the pushback against democracy, human rights and the rule of law, which continue to be under threat worldwide.” Furthermore, this pushback is specifically recognised in relation to the human rights of LGBTI people.

ILGA-Europe welcomes the fact that the European Parliament recognises this broad, ongoing attack on human rights.

Paragraph 42 of the Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy in the World 2016 states that the European Parliament: “Considers that the EU should continue its efforts to enhance respect for the human rights of LGBTI people, in line with the EU Guidelines on the topic; calls for the full implementation of the Guidelines, including through the training of EU staff in third countries; denounces the fact that 72 countries still criminalise homosexuality, is concerned that 13 of these countries have the death penalty, and believes that violent practices and acts of violence against individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation, such as forced outings, hate crimes and hate speech both online and offline, and corrective rape should not go unpunished.”

This is an important message, especially when we consider the further regression of the human rights of LGBTI people that happened in 2017; from the mass illegal detentions and torture of LGBT people in Chechnya, and the government-sanctioned arrest of perceived gay men and trans women and forced medical examinations in Azerbaijan, to police raids on LGBT friendly bars in Belarus, or rising hate crime and hate speech being allowed to carry on with impunity in Georgia. 

Crucially, ILGA-Europe joins the European Parliament in calling for a full implementation of the EU’s LGBTI Guidelines, including through comprehensive training for EU staff in third countries.

The guidelines outline clear measures that respective embassies are required to take in the promotion and protection of the human rights of LGBTI people. Their full and effective implementation would have significant impact on the lives of LGBTI people living outside the EU’s borders.

ILGA-Europe has delivered training sessions for EU delegation staff on LGBTI issues and the guidelines, and looks forward to delivering many more such sessions in the future. ILGA-Europe partner organisations are also available to deliver sessions in countries throughout Europe.