In the dynamic world of human rights advocacy, working together is essential. Last week marked a significant event of mass collaboration – the release of the 16th annual Rainbow Map of LGBTI human rights in Europe

The purpose of the Rainbow Map

At its core, the Rainbow Map is a tool of empowerment, designed to equip advocates with the knowledge needed to achieve change. With categories ranging from equality and non-discrimination to asylum rights, this resource serves as a compass, illuminating the path towards progress. Armed with the Rainbow Map, activists can leverage its insights to hold governments accountable, showcasing comparative data to drive policy reform and legislative action.

Stories of struggle and triumph

Behind every data point lies a narrative – a story of struggle and triumph, of setbacks and victories. The Rainbow Map is not merely a collection of statistics; it is a testament to the activism of LGBTI people across Europe for real change. Through the qualitative lens of ILGA-Europe’s Annual Review, the numbers come to life, providing context and depth to each country’s journey towards equality. When browsing each country in the Rainbow Map, you will find the Annual Review for the country under a number of themes.

The power of collaboration

The journey to publish the Rainbow Map each year is not a tale of an organisation in Brussels working alone. It’s a true example collective determination, and a display of LGBTI and allied teamwork across Europe, showcasing the strength of unity during tough times. More than 250 people, including activists, lawyers, and policymakers, contributed their expertise and passion to this project, which has become a go-to for anyone wanting to understand the development of LGBTI rights in Europe over the past 16 years. Their dedication and commitment to justice is woven into the very fabric of the Rainbow Map. This year, we made substantial progress by revamping the Rainbow Map’s interface and seamlessly integrating it with our ILGA-Europe website. This revitalisation reflects our commitment to continuous improvement, ensuring that users have access to the most user-friendly and informative platform possible.

Honouring the faces behind the numbers

As we continue our journey towards equality, equipped with the Map, let us remember the people behind the data – the activists who fight the good fight, the lawyers who litigate, the policymakers who advocate. Let’s honour their resilience, courage, and unwavering belief in a better tomorrow. As we navigate the complex landscape of LGBTI rights, let the Rainbow Map be our guidance, illuminating the path towards new successes.

As Europe heads towards multiple elections, including the EU elections next month, LGBTI rights have become a marker for the protection of freedom and democracy amid the rise of far right forces, new Rainbow Map finds.

Published on May 15 by Europe’s leading LGBTI organisation, ILGA-Europe, the 16th annual Rainbow Map, which ranks 49 European countries on legislative developments in the arena of LGBTI human rights, shows that while authoritarian leaders across Europe continue to use the scapegoating of LGBTI people to divide and mobilise their electorates, others are conversly showing robust political will to honour commitments to advancing and protecting the human rights of LGBTI people. 

At a time when some Italian regions are withdrawing parenthood rights from same-sex couples, when efforts are being made to rewrite guidelines to limit access to trans-specific healthcare in Slovakia, Croatia, France and the UK, and when we are witnessing Russia’s unprecedented move of criminalising the ‘international LGBTI movement’ as an ‘extremist organisation’, the findings of this year’s Rainbow Map make it more clear than ever that only legal protections can ensure that fundamental rights are guaranteed.

many countries stalling

The Rainbow Map is published just one day after the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights LGBTIQ Survey III report, which finds that over two thirds of respondents encountered hate statements, and a significant increase in violence since the last survey in 2019.

According to ILGA-Europe’s Advocacy Director, Katrin Hugendubel: “Across Europe, LGBTI people are being targeted by hate speech and violence and their human rights are being actively undermined, yet we still see too many countries across the region stalling in moving legal protection forward and not renewing their commitments through national strategies and action plans. This non-action is dangerous, as without proper legislation in place to protect minorities, including LGBTI people, it will be much too easy for newly elected governments to quickly undermine human rights and democracy.”

Strong Political Will in several countries

The Rainbow Map shows some governments stepping up to the mark in the understanding of this. In a year of 30-plus elections across the region, including the EU Elections next month, the Map illustrates a strong political will to advance the protection of LGBTI human rights in several countries. 

Greece, Germany, Iceland, Estonia, and Liechtenstein all made some of the biggest jumps in the Rainbow Map ranking. Both Estonia and Greece amended their laws to allow same-sex couples to marry and adopt children, Greece also filled the gaps in its anti-discrimination legislation to fully protect LGBTI people, and Liechtenstein extended adoption rights to same-sex couples. With these changes, Greece has jumped to No’6 in the ranking.

Countries are also working hard to put crime measures in place that recognise anti-LGBTI hatred as an aggravating factor. Germany, which entered the top 10 this year, prohibited hate crimes based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics. Other countries legislating against hate crime include Bulgaria, Iceland (which has jumped to No’2 in the ranking) and Slovenia. Bans on conversion practices, which also perpetrate violence against LGBTI people, were introduced in Belgium, Cyprus, Iceland, Norway and Portugal.

But others, such as Italy, which has dropped two places in the rankings due to stalling legislative protection for many years, show what can happen when legislation is not in place and far-right governments take power. 

Backlash in Georgia and other EU Accession Countries

Most EU accession countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Ukraine) are falling behind in their commitments, stalling the introduction of legislation and thus putting their citizens more and more at risk of real backlash and the undermining of fundamental rights. Turkey and Georgia, also accession candidates, are actively eroding human rights and fundamental freedoms, including efforts to pass new legislation particularly targeting LGBTI people. Georgia, one the most recent accession countries, has been cracking down on pro-EU protests against its proposed ‘foreign agents’ law, which comes directly from the Russian anti-LGBTI playbook.

According to the Executive Director of ILGA-Europe, Chaber: “The EU needs to pay close attention not only to the rise of political hate speech against LGBTI people, but also to new tools of oppression, like Russia’s criminalisation of a whole segment of the country’s population. The efforts at division and distraction from consolidated authoritarian regimes are further leaking into other European countries at a time where elections could push Europe into the hands of leaders who wish to shape a radical right, anti-democratic European Union. Europe needs stronger laws and policies to protect LGBTI people. Without these, we cannot talk about safety or about rule of law and democracy.” 

About the Rainbow Map

The Rainbow Map – ILGA-Europe’s annual benchmarking tool – comprises the Rainbow Map and Index and national recommendations. ILGA-Europe have produced the Rainbow Map and Index since 2009, using it to illustrate the legal and policy situation of LGBTI people in Europe. 

The Rainbow Map and Index ranks European countries on their respective legal and policy practices for LGBTI people, from 0-100%.

In order to create our country ranking, ILGA-Europe examine the laws and policies in 49 countries using 75 criteria, divided between seven thematic categories: equality and non-discrimination; family; hate crime and hate speech; legal gender recognition; intersex bodily integrity; civil society space; and asylum.

The Rainbow Map and Index presents a picture of the current policy landscape, while country-specific recommendations attempt to answer the question “what’s next?” These recommendations are intended to encourage policymakers to address the most pressing legal and policy priorities within the framework of our Rainbow Map and Index. The recommendations were gathered following an online consultation with a wide range of LGBTI organisations in the various countries. As a result, the recommendations are tailored to the needs of activists working on the ground.

This year, the Rainbow Map website has been relaunched with a new look and includes features that allow for an improved visualisation of the data, as well as a more agile and user-friendly access to the information.

Rainbow Map Executive Summary 2024

For the ninth year in a row, Malta continues to occupy the number one spot on the Rainbow Map, with a score of 88%.

With 83 points, Iceland jumped to second place with a rise of three places as a result of the new legislation banning conversion practices and ensuring the trans-specific healthcare is based on depathologisation. 

Belgium also banned conversion practices and now comes third place on the ranking with a score of 78. 

The three countries at the other end of the Rainbow Map scale are Russia (2%), Azerbaijan (2%), and Turkey (5%). Russia lost 7 points and dropped 3 places because of the federal legislation banning legal gender recognition and trans-specific healthcare. 

Poland still sits at the end of the EU ranking with 18% points, followed by Romania (19%) and Bulgaria (23%). 

Germany, Iceland, Estonia, Liechtenstein, and Greece are the countries with the biggest jumps in scores. Germany prohibited hate crimes based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics. While both Estonia and Greece amended their laws to allow same-sex couples to marry and adopt children, Greece also filled the gaps in their anti-discrimination legislation to fully protect LGBTI people. Liechtenstein extended adoption rights to same-sex couples.

Montenegro lost the most points (-13%), dropping 9 places because it failed to adopt a new equality action plan or introduce updated policies on asylum and hate crime.   

Alongside Montenegro, governments in Spain, Slovenia, Finland, Sweden, and many other countries failed to renew their action plans. France, Malta, Scotland and Wales adopted effective and comprehensive equality action plans. 

In many countries, legislative proposals that have been on the table for years are not moving forward. This includes the hate crime legislation and proposal for recognition of same-sex partnership in Ukraine, which despite endorsement by several ministries and support throughout society is still being stalled. It also includes a draft law on legal gender recognition in Czechia that would finally get rid of the sterilisation requirement. After five years of delay, the UK government still hasn’t followed its promises on banning conversion practices. And despite many court cases and recommendations from international institutions, Lithuania didn’t progress on recognition of same-sex couples.

Belarus began categorising LGBTI content as “pornography”, restricting freedom of expression of LGBTI people. Bulgaria and Greece failed to protect LGBTI public events, thus lost points in relation to civil society space. 

Both in Denmark and Poland, administrative procedures were improved for minors’ access to legal gender recognition (LGR). Although Germany and Sweden adopted new regulations for LGR, the laws have not come into effect yet, so they are not reflected on the map. 

In many countries, legislative processes for new LGR procedures have been stalled this year. Similarly, no country prohibited unnecessary medical interventions on intersex children. 

Most European countries still don’t include sexual orientation, gender identity or sex characteristics as qualification criteria for asylum. In an overall climate of governments increasingly undermining the international right to asylum, this ongoing omission is very worrying. This year’s only progress in this area was Czechia adding SOGI in their asylum law and Ireland providing a consistent training framework for their asylum caseworkers.

In countries where governments are pushing back on LGBTI people’s rights, joining Pride events is a courageous act that carries higher risks. However, it is in their invisible, everyday work where LGBTI activists showcase their most profound courage. The LGBTI movement in Turkey, as well as in Armenia and Azerbaijan, serve as remarkable examples of resilience against all odds. Keep reading to discover some key insights from our movement and find out more in our podcast.

“Take a moment and imagine yourself in this context,” begins Anastasia Smirnova, ILGA-Europe’s Programmes Director in a recent episode of The Frontline. “For eight years, you’ve been living amidst detentions, smear campaigns, cases against LGBTI activists, and violence that goes unpunished. Extremism and terrorism are terms often associated with the LGBTI movement. You vividly remember last year’s Pride events where hundreds were detained and subjected to police violence.”

This is not a fictional scenario but the daily reality of LGBTI activists in Turkey. Led by recently re-elected President Erdoğan, the Turkish government has intensified systematic attacks on LGBTI people since 2015, when the Istanbul Pride march was banned for the first time.

“So, would you show up at the Pride events in Turkey this year?” asks Anastasia.

“Not an imaginary you – not the bravest and most courageous version of you living in a vacuum. But the real you, with your life circumstances, responsibilities, and current challenges. What would inspire and empower you to show up, ready to face violence and knowing that detentions are possible?”

LGBTI activists in Turkey, and in countries where the government actively opposes LGBTI rights and existence, face potential repercussions, including in their personal lives. But instead of being discouraged by Erdogan’s hostility exhibited during the elections and the previous nine years in office, LGBTI activists in Turkey have organised a record number of Pride events over the spring and summer.

Despite all the risks and knowing that 500 people were detained during Pride season in 2022, they continue to show up.

“It is hard to imagine a stronger and clearer display of strength, solidarity, and resilience than LGBTI people and allies in Turkey taking to the streets, participating in the broader political context, and using their voices despite years of political intimidation,” says Anastasia.

Activism beyond Pride events

They do this not only during Pride season but every day. “For this to be possible, massive invisible work has to happen daily.” This work, unlike Pride events, will not make headlines. Yet, this is the work that enables people to continue showing up and grow their strength in numbers.

Prides and public protests are not the only signs of a strong movement. Referring to the countries at the bottom of our Rainbow Map ranking, where freedom of assembly is severely restricted, “people’s power manifests very differently, and often not on the surface,” explains Anastasia

Examples are offering expertise pro bono, contributing money, helping build connections with businesses, other civil society organisations, the media, among professionals or in educational, cultural, or healthcare spaces.

“It is people doing what they can in their immediate environment to improve the situation of LGBTI people, creating an alternative layer in society that counters state-sponsored anti-LGBTI ideologies,” says Anastasia.

What Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan teach us

The three countries at the bottom of the Rainbow Europe scale in 2023 are Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Armenia, the same as the last three years. Yet, the LGBTI movement in these countries offers valuable lessons for all LGBTI groups across the board.

“Over the last 15 years, we’ve seen not only how countries can advance but also how human rights and freedoms are attacked,” says Mehmet Akin, Senior Communications Officer with ILGA-Europe.

When anti-democratic representatives instrumentalise LGBTI people for their own political gain, the freedoms of LGBTI people are gradually taken away. Countries at the top of our ranking are not immune to these anti-democratic forces, who are increasing their presence across the region.

“This is a wake-up call from countries at the bottom of the ranking to those at the top, as LGBTI rights are one of their primary targets,” says Mehmet.

Despite all hardships, LGBTI movements in Russia or Turkey, but also in the EU, as in Poland or Hungary, have developed effective strategies for advocacy, community building, and exercising their freedom of assembly and expression.

“I think activists at the top of our list can learn from the countries at the bottom in terms of the experience they’ve already gained in continuing their work despite legal regression and societal repression,” concludes Mehmet.

Listen to the complete episode and learn more about the strength of the movement against all odds here and to all episodes about our Rainbow Map here.

Photo credits: Murat Kocabaş / Kaos GL

Every year since 2009, ILGA-Europe’s Rainbow Map has been ranking the 49 countries that make up Europe based on the legal and policy situations of LGBTI people.

While during this time there has been much movement at the top of the map, with Spain, Finland, Greece and Moldova making big jumps this year, the countries at the bottom have largely been the same since the very first map, namely Russia, Armenia, Turkey, and at the very bottom Azerbaijan.

In this episode of our podcast, The Frontline, we ask the question, if a country stays at the bottom of the Rainbow Map ranking, does it mean there’s no queer activism happening there? In countries where advocacy is not possible, and where daily life for LGBTI people is often extremely challenging, what’s happening in the work towards LGBTI rights and equality? And is this mostly invisible activism bringing about change for LGBTI people in the countries where it seems life is getting worse rather than better?

Released every May since 2009, the ILGA-Europe Rainbow Map ranks the legal and policy situation for LGBTI people in all 49 European countries, on a scale between 0% (gross violations of human rights, discrimination) and 100% (respect of human rights, full equality).

This year there was much movement on the map, with Malta holding the top spot and several countries entering the top ten. All of this has been reported across the world, but what truths lie behind the Rainbow Map rankings? Malta has been number one for eight years now, but is it a utopia for LGBTI people, or are there issues in the country that might be pinkwashed by its Rainbow ranking? Are small movements up the chart really representative of what’s happening on the ground for LGBTI people? And what’s happening in the countries that used to be at the top but are now lagging very much behind?

In this episode of The Frontline, exploring the complexities behind the rankings in the annual Rainbow Map, we are joined by guests Robert Attard from the Malta Gay Rights Movement, Simona Mursec from Ljubljana Pride Association in Slovenia and Sophie Schers from Transgender Network in The Netherlands. We’re also joined by Mehmet Akin from the ILGA-Europe team, who oversees the collection of data and rankings on the Rainbow Map and Index, and our Advocacy Director, Katrin Hugendubel, to talk about what we see happening now and in the future.

For over a decade, ILGA-Europe’s Rainbow Map and Index has been an essential tool for benchmarking LGBTI people’s rights across the region. But have you ever wondered how it comes together? In this blog, we’ll take you behind the scenes and show you the makings of our Rainbow Map, and how has it changed over time.

If you are reading this, you probably know that our Rainbow Map and Index ranks all 49 European countries on a scale between 0% and 100%, where 0% means gross violations of human rights, and 100% means full equality of LGBTI people.

In the present edition and for the eighth year in a row, Malta continues to occupy the number one spot of the ranking, with a score of 89%. The three countries at the other end of the scale are Armenia (9%), Turkey (4%) and in bottom place Azerbaijan (2%), exactly the same as the last three years. Among them, only Armenia increased an index point after revoking its ban on blood donations from men who have sex with men.

We use 74 criteria divided into seven categories: equality and non-discrimination; family; hate crime and hate speech; legal gender recognition; intersex bodily integrity; civil society space; and asylum.

The Rainbow Index shows which criteria each country fulfils under each category, while the Rainbow Map displays each country in a colour based on their total score. Together they reflect the legal and policy protection of LGBTI people in Europe.

How do we put the Rainbow Map and Index together?

Throughout the year, we collect relevant data sets and verify the data with member organisations and our network of country experts. This network consists of LGBTI human rights defenders, researchers, lawyers, and other experts from the 49 countries of Europe.

We use this data to create country scores, country rankings, and regional averages. In case you were wondering, we don’t use a magic wand to compile and analyse the data. Our magic is done using Excel spreadsheets!

We then design a map and index and update the online website module for the launch, which usually happens during the IDAHOT Forum, an annual intergovernmental focal point meeting of the Council of Europe about LGBTI rights, where many European government officials come together.

A changing map for a changing reality

What a journey has it been for our Rainbow Map! The first edition in 2009 consisted of a map which provided information concerning 13 issues. In the 2010 edition, we added an index and collected data with regard to 14 indicators. Fast forward to 2023: in the latest edition we are using 74 criteria, including the most recent category, intersex bodily integrity, introduced last year. This evolution shows that for the LGBTI movement in Europe, equality and non-discrimination laws, legal gender recognition, bodily integrity, protection from hatred and violence, family rights, and protection of asylum seekers are all interconnected and equally essential for the full enjoyment of human rights for LGBTI people.

Each of the 74 criteria has a different percentage of weight allocated to it. The weight for each has also been changed over the years, as we have added new elements to the criteria. As a result of these alterations, the Rainbow Map and Index gives a more accurate and evolving picture of what LGBTI people really need and what matters to the lives of people in different parts of LGBTI communities across Europe.

Alterations to our criteria make year-on-year comparisons difficult, but certain lessons are clear – countries that are expanding their legislative horizons are moving up in the ranking.

ILGA-Europe’s Rainbow Map and Index is a powerful tool to understand how European countries are protecting LGBTI people and to keep governments accountable. It serves as a reminder that the fight for full equality and human rights for LGBTI people is far from over, but we’re making progress, one country at a time.

The Rainbow Map & Index 2023 was launched on 11 May, check out now how your country is doing at www.rainbow-europe.org.

Despite intense anti-LGBTI attacks in several countries, equality is still advancing across Europe, ILGA-Europe’s annual Rainbow Map and Index shows.

The latest Rainbow Map and Index from Europe’s leading LGBTI organisation, ILGA-Europe, finds that while the public discourse is becoming more polarised and violent, particularly against trans people, political determination to advance LGBTI rights is paying off. The largest gains on the map are for countries that introduced legal gender recognition (LGR) using a self-determination model.

Published on Thursday, May 11, 2023 at the IDAHOT+ Forum in Iceland, ILGA-Europe’s annual Rainbow Europe Map and Index, ranking the legal and policy situation of LGBTI people in 49 European countries, finds that over the past 12 months bans on intersex genital mutilation (IGM) are also bringing countries up in the ranking. Spain jumped six places to number four with its introduction of LGR with self-determination, alongside a ban on IGM, while Finland entered the top ten, again up six places, again with LGR based on self-determination. Greece has also moved up four places with its ban on IGM.

Gender identity and sex characteristics are included in anti-discrimination and/or hate crime legislation, moving Belgium, Iceland and Moldova up the chart alongside Spain.

While the advancement of legislation recognising gender identity marks a major shift forward this year, there is more positive movement on the Rainbow Map and Index, notably:

• Moldova has jumped 14 places because sexual orientation and gender identity have been positively included in legislation covering employment, education, provision of goods and services, health, hate crime and hate speech.

• Slovenia and Switzerland switched positions. Both countries introduced same-sex marriage and joint adoption. Switzerland also allows medically assisted insemination for couples. Croatia too moved up one spot with its introduction of adoption for same-sex couples.

According to ILGA-Europe’s Executive Director, Evelyne Paradis: “As powerfully evidenced in this year’s Rainbow Map, the rise of anti-LGBTI rhetoric from anti-democratic forces, particularly instrumentalising false anti-trans narratives, is being fought back by politicians in Europe who have the courage to make a stand for the fundamental human rights and equality of every citizen. The map highlights the clear fact that progress for LGBTI people is still possible, and more important than ever, with the need for more leaders to push back on attacks on democracy for all by pushing forward. We commend those politicians who have taken the stance that needs to be taken for the good of everyone in our society, and we encourage more to step up to the plate as across Europe democracy and human rights are under threat from the far-right.”

Katrin Hugendubel, Advocacy Director at ILGA-Europe adds: “Governments, but also other political actors and institutions can and have been making a positive difference this year. A lot of progress relies on the Courts, for instance, at local, national and European level. Poland remains the country in the EU with the lowest ranking at 43rd place, but the country gained points in the index this year because of the courts ensuring that no surgical interventions are needed for legal gender recognition and the equality body extending its work to include intersex people. In a very hostile global climate, we are seeing different actors coming together, and weighing in more actively for LGBTI rights, which is crucial to counter the pushback.”

That pushback can also be seen in the challenge to freedom of assembly amid the rise of anti-democratic forces. Markedly, Serbia, which hosted a seriously compromised EuroPride march after last-minute attempts by the Serbian President and Minister of the Interior to ban the event, went down three places, while Turkey remains almost at the very bottom of the ranking after another year of crack-downs on Pride gatherings, showing that in 2023 the basic right to gather in a public space still cannot be taken for granted.

Released every May since 2009, marking International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, Biphobia, and Intersexphobia (IDAHOBIT), the ILGA-Europe Rainbow Map ranks all 49 European countries on a scale between 0% (gross violations of human rights, discrimination) and 100% (respect of human rights, full equality).

Executive summary 2023

Rainbow Europe – ILGA-Europe’s annual benchmarking tool – comprises the Rainbow Map and Index and national recommendations. ILGA-Europe have produced the Rainbow Map and Index since 2009, using it to illustrate the legal and policy situation of LGBTI people in Europe.

The Rainbow Map and Index ranks 49 European countries on their respective legal and policy practices for LGBTI people, from 0-100%.

In order to create our country ranking, ILGA-Europe examine the laws and policies in 49 countries using 74 criteria, divided between seven thematic categories: equality and non-discrimination; family; hate crime and hate speech; legal gender recognition; intersex bodily integrity; civil society space; and asylum. More information on the list of criteria and their weight on the total score can be found at www.rainbow-europe.org/about

Policymakers, researchers and journalists are able to go ‘behind’ the points and see the original information sources that we base our Map and Index ranking on. This additional layer of information is available through our updated Rainbow Europe web module, www.rainbow-europe.org.

The Rainbow Map and Index presents a picture of what the policy landscape is like currently, while our country-specific recommendations attempt to answer the question “what’s next?” These recommendations are intended to encourage policymakers to address the most pressing legal and policy priorities within the framework of our Rainbow Map and Index.

The recommendations were gathered following an online consultation with a wide range of LGBTI organisations in the various countries. As a result, the recommendations are tailored to the needs of activists working on the ground.

• For the eighth year in a row, Malta continues to occupy the number one spot on the Rainbow Europe Map, with a score of 89%.
• With 76 points, Belgium now occupies the second place with a rise of four points due to the inclusion of gender identity and sex characteristics as aggravating factors in the country’s penal code.
• Denmark comes third place with a score of 76 with the rise of two points due to its new equality action plan, which includes specific measures on sexual orientation and gender identity but falls short of inclusion of projects on sex characteristics.
• The three countries at the other end of the Rainbow Europe scale are Azerbaijan (2%), Turkey (4%), and Armenia (9%), exactly the same as the last three years. Among them, only Armenia increased an index point after revoking its ban on blood donations from men who have sex with men.
• Spain, Iceland, Finland, Moldova, Switzerland, and Croatia are the countries with the biggest jump in scores. Spain introduced a comprehensive law that regulates legal gender recognition (LGR) based on self-determination, banned genital mutilations on intersex minors, prohibited so-called “conversion” practices and outlawed discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics.
• Iceland adopted an equality action plan, included gender identity and sex characteristics in their equality law, and added sex characteristics protection in the penal code. Moldova also amended its equality law and penal code to include sexual orientation and gender identity.
• Finland adopted its Trans Law which regulates LGR based on self-determination.
• Switzerland’s legislation on marriage equality came into effect, which also gave the right to joint adoption and medically assisted insemination for same-sex couples. In Croatia, same-sex couples can now apply for joint adoption and second-parent adoption after a court decision.

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

Rainbow Map 2023Download

Rainbow Index 2023Download

• Despite intense anti-LGBTI attacks in several countries, equality is still advancing across Europe.
• While the public discourse is becoming more polarised and violent, particularly against trans people, political determination to advance LGBTI rights is paying off. The largest gains on the map are for countries that introduced legal gender recognition using a self-determination model. Over the past 12 months bans on intersex genital mutilation (IGM) are also bringing countries up in the ranking.
• Spain jumped six places to number four with its introduction of LGR with self determination, alongside a ban on IGM, while Finland entered the top ten, again up six places, again with LGR based on self-determination. Greece has also moved up four places with its ban on IGM.
• Gender identity and sex characteristics are included in anti-discrimination and/or hate crime legislation, moving Belgium, Iceland and Moldova up the chart alongside Spain.
• Moldova has jumped 14 places because sexual orientation and gender identity have been positively included in legislation covering employment, education, provision of goods and services, health, hate crime and hate speech.
• Slovenia and Switzerland switched positions. Both countries introduced same-sex marriage and joint adoption. Switzerland also allows medically assisted insemination for couples. Croatia too moved up one spot with its introduction of adoption for same-sex couples.

Executive summary

Rainbow Europe – ILGA-Europe’s annual benchmarking tool – comprises the Rainbow Map and Index and national recommendations. ILGA-Europe have produced the Rainbow Map and Index since 2009, using it to illustrate the legal and policy situation of LGBTI people in Europe.

The Rainbow Map and Index ranks 49 European countries on their respective legal and policy practices for LGBTI people, from 0-100%.

In order to create our country ranking, ILGA-Europe examine the laws and policies in 49 countries using 74 criteria, divided between seven thematic categories: equality and non-discrimination; family; hate crime and hate speech; legal gender recognition; intersex bodily integrity; civil society space; and asylum. More information on the list of criteria and their weight on the total score can be found at www.rainbow-europe.org/about

Policymakers, researchers and journalists are able to go ‘behind’ the points and see the original information sources that we base our Map and Index ranking on. This additional layer of information is available through our updated Rainbow Europe web module, www.rainbow-europe.org.

The Rainbow Map and Index presents a picture of what the policy landscape is like currently, while our country-specific recommendations attempt to answer the question “what’s next?” These recommendations are intended to encourage policymakers to address the most pressing legal and policy priorities within the framework of our Rainbow Map and Index. The recommendations were gathered following an online consultation with a wide range of LGBTI organisations in the various countries. As a result, the recommendations are tailored to the needs of activists working on the ground.

• For the eighth year in a row, Malta continues to occupy the number one spot on the Rainbow Europe Map, with a score of 89%.
• With 76 points, Belgium now occupies the second place with a rise of four points due to the inclusion of gender identity and sex characteristics as aggravating factors in the country’s penal code.
• Denmark comes third palace with a score of 76 with the rise of two points due to its new equality action plan, which includes specific measures on sexual orientation and gender identity but falls short of inclusion of projects on sex characteristics.
• The three countries at the other end of the Rainbow Europe scale are Azerbaijan (2%), Turkey (4%), and Armenia (9%), exactly the same as the last three years. Among them, only Armenia increased an index point after revoking its ban on blood donations from men who have sex with men.
• Spain, Iceland, Finland, Moldova, Switzerland, and Croatia are the countries with the biggest jump in scores. Spain introduced a comprehensive law that regulates legal gender recognition (LGR) based on self-determination, banned genital mutilations on intersex minors, prohibited so-called “conversion” practices and outlawed discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics.
• Iceland adopted an equality action plan, included gender identity and sex characteristics in their equality law, and added sex characteristics protection in the penal code. Moldova also amended its equality law and penal code to include sexual orientation and gender identity.
• Finland adopted its Trans Law which regulates LGR based on self-determination.
• Switzerland’s legislation on marriage equality came into effect, which also gave the right to joint adoption and medically assisted insemination for same-sex couples. In Croatia, same-sex couples can now apply for joint adoption and second-parent adoption after a court decision.

ILGA-Europe’s Rainbow Map of the legal situation for LGBTI people in Europe has a brand-new category: Intersex Bodily Integrity. It’s an essential expansion, because in across Europe and Central Asia, intersex people, and especially children, are still at risk.

In a world where the overwhelming majority of people and governments have limited or no understanding of variations of sex characteristics, the existence of intersex people and their bodies is barely recognised. But intersex people, that is people who are born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy different from what society expects of women or men’s bodies, make up around 1.7% of the population, which is comparable to the number of people born with red hair.

Because of this lack of understanding and acceptance, healthy intersex bodies are considered to be a medical problem that needs to be fixed by surgical, hormonal, other medical and sometimes psychological means. Intersex people face human rights violations, including having their bodily integrity compromised as infants, when doctors decide to ‘fix’ them.

Published in May 2022, ILGA-Europe’s Rainbow Map and Index annually ranks 49 European countries on their respective legal and policy practices for LGBTI people. Although ILGA-Europe has been monitoring intersex genital mutilation for some time now, and advocating on behalf of intersex people, this year we’ve introduced an Intersex Bodily Integrity category, expanding the issues that we monitored previously, covering the different issues the heading captures.

The Map finds that only Germany and Iceland have joined Malta, Portugal and some regions in Spain in banning medical interventions on intersex children before they are able to give informed consent. This means that in these countries and territories medical practitioners or other professionals are prohibited by law from conducting any kind of surgical or medical intervention on an intersex minor when the intervention has no medical necessity and can be avoided or postponed until the person can provide informed consent. However, in all cases, these bans have serious shortcomings, including that they include exceptions for certain conditions and do not provide universal protection.

Alongside, ILGA-Europe’s Annual Review of the Human Rights Situation of LGBTI people in Europe and Central Asia, found this year that Austria, Cyprus, Belgium and France have tabled prohibition proposals.

Not one of the 49 countries analysed in the Rainbow Europe Map have been awarded points for the other three criteria under Intersex bodily integrity category: universality of prohibition of medical interventions; existence of effective monitoring mechanisms; and access to justice for victims and reparations. Not even Malta, which occupies the top position on the Rainbow Europe Map for the seventh year in a row, has been awarded points.

However, according to OII Europe, the only intersex-led umbrella organisation working for human rights of intersex people in Europe, there are reasons for hope. “We are observing a growing will among European governments to combat violence against intersex persons”, said Dan Christian Ghattas, Executive Director of OII Europe in the launch of their 2021 Good Practice Map.

Intersex people exist in every country in the region and the world and they must be protected by legislation and policy makers so they can live freely, safely and equally in our societies. If governments take the right steps, the Rainbow Map can look differently for intersex people next year.

Our brand new Rainbow Map shows steps forward in LGBTI rights in several countries, spelling out that equality is at the core of democracy in Europe. But while some are pushing forward, others continue to instrumentalise LGBTI discrimination to erode freedom.

ILGA-Europe’s 2022 Rainbow Map, which ranks the legal and policy situation of LGBTI people in 49 countries, shows that a new dynamic has appeared in the last 12 months to fill in the gaps that exist around LGBTI equality, and push standards at a time when democracy in the region is being challenged.

After several years reporting a disturbing standstill on LGBTI rights, the latest Rainbow Europe Map and Index identifies steps forward in LGBTI rights in several countries, with the clear understanding that equality and freedom for all are at the core of democracy. But while some are pushing forward, others continue to exploit anti-LGBTI sentiment as part of an agenda to erode freedom and equality.

Here are some examples of this positive movement for LGBTI rights across Europe:

• Denmark is taking the lead in filling in anti-discrimination gaps in current legislation, including the equal treatment law, which covers health, education, employment, provision of goods and services, and the penal code to include sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics (SOGIESC) as aggravating factors in hate crime.
• Iceland has legally recognised trans parenthood.
• Germany has introduced a ban on intersex genital mutilation.
• France banned so-called ‘conversion therapy’ based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
• There is positive legislative movement in Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia, countering the narrative that there is an East/West divide on LGBTI rights in Europe, providing governments in these countries with strong opportunities to underpin democracy through adoption and implementation.

But it’s not all good news. Here are the countries sliding backwards on LGBTI rights:

Some countries that once were leading lights on LGBTI rights are slipping down the ladder, while others are in danger of following the precedent of countries where LGBTI rights are being instrumentalised for political gain.

• The United Kingdom has suffered a significant drop in ranking, going from 10th to 14th place, losing points as evidence was brought forward this year that the equality body is not, as set out in its mandate, effectively protecting on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity. This comes at a time of widespread political and media anti-trans sentiment, while the British government is not moving on long-promised reforms on gender recognition and banning so-called ‘conversion therapy’ for all.
• Bulgaria and Romania are now not far off the lowest ranking in the EU, which currently belongs to Poland. All three countries are witnessing a rise of official anti-LGBTI sentiment.
• A stark example of this is Romania losing points due to authorities’ obstruction of freedom of assembly by banning and punishing Pride events.
• Meanwhile, Hungary moved down three places, mainly because in 2021 its parliament adopted a ban on the “portrayal and the promotion of gender identity different from sex at birth, the change of sex and homosexuality” for persons under 18.
• In nearly half of the countries ranked, LGBTI people are not adequately protected against discrimination and violence for LGBTI people. 20 countries out of 49 still have no protection against hate crime based on sexual orientation, while 28 countries have no protection against violence based on gender identity.

A few words on Ukraine

It is worth mentioning that in Ukraine, before the Russian invasion, there was cautious optimism from LGBTI activists about the way forward, as seen in our Annual Review. Several politicians were willing to discuss legislative rights. Post-war this should provide the country with a bedrock on which to build a legislative framework that protects all its citizens, and a society that values LGBTI people as part of its democratic composition.

The LGBTI movement is evolving and so it is our Rainbow Map

The ILGA-Europe Rainbow Map ranks 49 countries in Europe on a scale between 0% (gross violations of human rights, discrimination) and 100% (respect of human rights, full equality). This year’s map also tells the story of an evolving movement. A brand-new category, “Intersex bodily integrity,” has been introduced. This is because for our movement in Europe, equality and non-discrimination laws, legal gender recognition, bodily integrity, protection from hatred and violence, family rights, and protection of asylum seekers are all interconnected and equally essential for the full enjoyment of human rights for LGBTI people.

The 2022 Rainbow Europe Map finds that over the past 12 months a new dynamic has appeared to fill in the gaps that exist around LGBTI rights and push standards, giving governments ground to build upon as democracy in Europe faces exceptional challenges.

This year we observe positive movement on the Rainbow Map and Index, notably:

• Denmark has jumped seven places to achieve second spot in the 2022 ranking. The reason for Denmark’s jump is that it is taking the lead in filling in anti-discrimination gaps in current legislation, including the equal treatment law, which covers health, education, employment, goods and services, and the penal code to include sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics as aggravating factors in hate crime.
• More countries are pushing forward for equality by giving due recognition and protection for people’s lived realities. Iceland was awarded points because of its legislative recognition of trans parenthood, among other things, while Germany introduced a ban on intersex genital mutilation and France banned so-called ‘conversion therapy’ based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
• After years of being stalled there is positive legislative movement in Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia, countering the narrative that there is an East/West divide on LGBTI rights in Europe, providing governments in these countries with strong opportunities to underpin democracy through adoption and implementation.

Unfortunately, it’s not all good news:

• The United Kingdom has suffered a significant drop in ranking, going from 10th to 14th place, losing points as evidence was brought forward this year that the equality body is not, as set out in its mandate, effectively protecting on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity. This comes at a time of widespread political and media anti-trans sentiment, while the British government is not moving on long-promised reforms on gender recognition and banning so-called ‘conversion therapy’ for all.
• Amid a rise in official anti-LGBTI sentiment in Bulgaria and Romania, both countries are now not far off the lowest ranking in the EU, which currently belongs to Poland. Romania is losing points due to authorities’ obstruction of freedom of assembly by banning and punishing Pride events. Meanwhile, Hungary moved down three places, mainly because its parliament adopted a number of amendments which directly discriminate against LGBTI people, including a ban on the “portrayal and the promotion of gender identity different from sex at birth, the change of sex and homosexuality” for persons under 18.
• There remains significant gaps in terms of fundamental protection against discrimination and violence in nearly half of the countries. Currently, 20 countries out of 49 still have no protection against hate crime based on sexual orientation, while 28 countries have no protection against violence based on gender identity. 

Executive Summary

Rainbow Europe – ILGA-Europe’s annual benchmarking tool – comprises the Rainbow Map and Index and national recommendations. ILGA-Europe have produced the Rainbow Map and Index since 2009, using it to illustrate the legal and policy situation of LGBTI people in Europe.

The Rainbow Map and Index ranks 49 European countries on their respective legal and policy practices for LGBTI people, from 0-100%.

In order to create our country ranking, ILGA-Europe examine the laws and policies in 49 countries using a set of criteria. From May 2022, the number of individual criteria used has risen to 74, divided between seven thematic categories: equality and non-discrimination; family; hate crime and hate speech; legal gender recognition; intersex bodily integrity; civil society space; and asylum. More information on the list of criteria and their weight on the total score can be found at www.rainbow-europe.org/about 

The 2022 Rainbow Europe also tells the story of an evolving movement. The 14th edition of the Index introduces a brand-new category: “Intersex bodily integrity” and changes in the weight given to different issues it captures. The message is clear: for our movement in Europe, equality and non-discrimination laws, legal gender recognition, bodily integrity, protection from hatred and violence, family rights, and protection of asylum seekers are all interconnected and equally essential for the full enjoyment of human rights for LGBTI people.

Alterations to our criteria make year-on-year comparisons difficult, but certain lessons are clear – countries that are expanding their legislative horizons are moving up in the ranking.

Policymakers, researchers and journalists are able to go ‘behind’ the points and see the original information sources that we base our Map and Index ranking on. This additional layer of information is available through our updated Rainbow Europe web module, www.rainbow-europe.org.

The Rainbow Map and Index presents a picture of what the policy landscape is like currently, while our country-specific recommendations attempt to answer the question “what’s next?” These recommendations are intended to encourage policymakers to address the most pressing legal and policy priorities within the framework of our Rainbow Map and Index. The recommendations were gathered following an online consultation with a wide range of LGBTI organisations in the various countries. As a result, the recommendations are tailored to the needs of activists working on the ground.

For the seventh year in a row, Malta continues to occupy the number one spot on the Rainbow Europe Map, with a score of 92%.

With 74 points, Denmark now occupies second place – this is a rise of seven places, mainly fuelled by the amendments to its hate crime and equal treatment legislations. 

Belgium comes third place with a score of 72%.

The three countries at the other end of the Rainbow Europe scale are Azerbaijan (2%), Turkey (4%), and Armenia (8%), exactly the same as the last two years.

The United Kingdom is the country with the most dramatic drop in its score, losing 11% points in relation to the equality body mandate’s ineffective and non-systematic work on sexual orientation and gender identity and equality action plan not being renewed or implemented.

Portugal has also dropped by 5% points due to the expiration of the government’s action plan.

Denmark, Iceland, France, Greece, and Latvia are the countries with the biggest jump in scores. Iceland amended its children’s law to allow gender-neutral registration for parents, a step that recognises trans parenthood. Iceland also received points in relation to ILGA-Europe’s new category “intersex bodily integrity.” 

France improved its implementation of the equality action plan, passed a ban on conversion therapies, lifted bans on blood donation, and adopted a law on medically assisted insemination. Greece also lifted bans on blood donations and adopted a new equality action plan. Latvia amended its criminal code in a way that the courts apllies it to protect sexual oreintation as an aggravating factor. 

As democracy in Europe comes under growing pressure, the annual ILGA-Europe Rainbow Map identifies steps forward on LGBTI rights in several countries.

Published on Thursday, May 12, 2022 at the IDAHOT+ Forum in Cyprus, ILGA-Europe’s annual Rainbow Europe Map and Index, ranking the legal and policy situation of LGBTI people in 49 European countries, finds that over the past 12 months a new dynamic has appeared to fill in the gaps that exist around LGBTI rights and push standards, giving governments ground to build upon as democracy in Europe faces exceptional challenges.

But it’s not all good news. By contrast, some countries that once were leading lights on LGBTI rights are slipping down the ladder, while others are in danger of following the precedent of countries where LGBTI rights are being instrumentalised for political gain.

Released every May since 2009, marking International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, Biphobia, and Intersexphobia (IDAHOBIT), the ILGA-Europe Rainbow Map ranks all 49 European countries on a scale between 0% (gross violations of human rights, discrimination) and 100% (respect of human rights, full equality). This year’s findings are a welcomed contrast to those of the 2021 map, which identified a complete stagnation on LGBTI rights and equality across Europe.

This year we observe positive movement on the Rainbow Map and Index, notably:

• Denmark has jumped seven places to achieve second spot in the 2022 ranking. The reason for Denmark’s jump is that it is taking the lead in filling in anti-discrimination gaps in current legislation, including the equal treatment law, which covers health, education, employment, provision of goods and services, and the penal code to include sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics (SOGIESC) as aggravating factors in hate crime.
• More countries are pushing forward for equality by giving due recognition and protection for people’s lived realities. Iceland was awarded points because of its legislative recognition of trans parenthood, among other things, while Germany introduced a ban on intersex genital mutilation and France banned so-called ‘conversion therapy’ based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
• After years of being stalled there is positive legislative movement in Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia, countering the narrative that there is an East/West divide on LGBTI rights in Europe, providing governments in these countries with strong opportunities to underpin democracy through adoption and implementation.

According to ILGA-Europe’s Executive Director, Evelyne Paradis: “It is encouraging to see that several governments actively chose to take real action over the past 12 months to progress LGBTI equality, and as a result, that the Rainbow Map looks positively different compared to this time last year. In the face of anti-LGBTI forces which remain rife across Europe, we welcome the renewed mobilisation by a growing number of politicians and government officials to do what is needed to improve the lived realities of LGBTI people. More is definitely needed to strengthen this upward dynamic in the coming year.”

This year, ILGA-Europe is introducing a new category on intersex bodily integrity. With this new headline, we want to send a clear message to governments that protecting the human rights of intersex people requires dedicated efforts and to guide policy-makers on where specific laws and policies are needed. It also allows for better assessment of the work in progress. Germany and Iceland have joined the small number of countries banning non-medically necessary interventions on intersex people without consent, but so far no country, including the leading country Malta, has put in place the necessary implementation and monitoring policies that would allow for fully protection of intersex people’s bodily integrity. Legislative work on banning interventions is ongoing in Austria, Cyprus, Belgium and France.

Unfortunately, it’s not all good news:

• The United Kingdom has suffered a significant drop in ranking, going from 10th to 14th place, losing points as evidence was brought forward this year that the equality body is not, as set out in its mandate, effectively protecting on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity. This comes at a time of widespread political and media anti-trans sentiment, while the British government is not moving on long-promised reforms on gender recognition and banning so-called ‘conversion therapy’ for all.
• Amid a rise in official anti-LGBTI sentiment in Bulgaria and Romania, both countries are now not far off the lowest ranking in the EU, which currently belongs to Poland. Romania is losing points due to authorities’ obstruction of freedom of assembly by banning and punishing Pride events. Meanwhile, Hungary moved down three places, mainly because its parliament adopted a number of amendments which directly discriminate against LGBTI people, including a ban on the “portrayal and the promotion of gender identity different from sex at birth, the change of sex and homosexuality” for persons under 18.
• There remain significant gaps in terms of fundamental protection against discrimination and violence in nearly half of the countries. Currently, 20 countries out of 49 still have no protection against hate crime based on sexual orientation, while 28 countries have no protection against violence based on gender identity.

ILGA-Europe’s Advocacy Director, Katrin Hugendubel said: “Despite the new dynamic we’re clearly seeing, the situation remains fragile. A downward spiral of hostile political discourse, legislative stagnation and, in some countries, even withdrawal of LGBTI rights and freedoms is worrying. And while countries like Bulgaria and Romania, for example, have not been in the headlines, they are moving down in ranking, nearer and nearer to Poland, which is at the very bottom in the European Union.”

“The situation in the UK is a sad reminder that when governments don’t stand strong on their commitments to advance minority rights, a powerful opposition can use that space to spread hate and division,” Hugendubel added.

Ukraine

Because of the current situation with war in Ukraine, here is our overview of the situation for the human rights and legislation for LGBTI people in the country, based on our 2022 Rainbow Map and companion publication, our Annual Review of the Human Rights Situation for LGBTI People in Europe and Central Asia (published February 2022).

• Ukraine went up one place in the Rainbow Map ranking because of a removal of restrictions on blood donations for men who have sex with men, which came into effect in June 2021, just over six months before the Russian attack on the country began. ILGA-Europe’s companion to the Rainbow Map, the Annual Review found that prior to the current war, there was cautious optimism from LGBTI activists about the way forward, with a willingness to discuss legislative rights from several politicians. Post-war this should provide Ukraine with a bedrock on which to build a legislative framework that protects all its citizens, and a society that values LGBTI people as part of its democratic composition.

Said Paradis: “LGBTI human rights and equality are a marker of a democratic society where the human rights and freedoms of all citizens are wholly respected and upheld. Recent history has taught us that one of the first steps towards erosion of democracy is the official scapegoating of LGBTI people and undermining of their human rights. This essentially is an act of targeting a vulnerable minority to undermine broader freedom.

“As ILGA-Europe have been warning for years, recent events in Europe prove that we cannot be complacent when the political targeting of minorities is being used by anti-democratic forces. The antidote to complacency is action. It is imperative at this time that we proactively advance equality by creating ever-more robust policies and practices to make sure our societies are truly fair, inclusive and respectful of everyone,” Paradis concluded.

Summary of Rainbow Europe Map 2022

For the seventh year in a row, Malta continues to occupy the number one spot on the Rainbow Europe Map, with a score of 92%.

With 74 points, Denmark now occupies second place – this is a rise of seven places, mainly fuelled by the amendments to its hate crime and equal treatment legislations.

Belgium comes third place with a score of 72%.

The three countries at the other end of the Rainbow Europe scale are Azerbaijan (2%), Turkey (4%), and Armenia (8%), exactly the same as the last two years.

The United Kingdom is the country with the most dramatic drop in its score, losing 11% points in relation to the equality body mandate’s ineffective and non-systematic work on sexual orientation and gender identity and equality action plan not being renewed or implemented.

Portugal has also dropped by 5% points due to the expiration of the government’s action plan.

Denmark, Iceland, France, Greece, and Latvia are the countries with the biggest jump in scores. Iceland amended its children’s law to allow gender-neutral registration for parents, a step that recognises trans parenthood. Iceland also received points in relation to ILGA-Europe’s new category “intersex bodily integrity.”

France passed a ban on conversion therapies, lifted bans on blood donation, and adopted a law on medically assisted insemination. Greece also lifted bans on blood donations and adopted a new equality action plan. Latvia amended its criminal code in a way that the courts applies it to protect sexual orientation as an aggravating factor.

Background

Rainbow Europe – ILGA-Europe’s annual benchmarking tool – comprises the Rainbow Map and Index and national recommendations. ILGA-Europe have produced the Rainbow Map and Index since 2009, using it to illustrate the legal and policy situation of LGBTI people in Europe.

The Rainbow Map and Index ranks 49 European countries on their respective legal and policy practices for LGBTI people, from 0-100%.

In order to create our country ranking, ILGA-Europe examine the laws and policies in 49 countries using a set of criteria. From May 2022, the number of individual criteria used has risen to 74, divided between seven thematic categories: equality and non-discrimination; family; hate crime and hate speech; legal gender recognition; intersex bodily integrity; civil society space; and asylum. More information on the list of criteria and their weight on the total score can be found at www.rainbow-europe.org/about  

The 2022 Rainbow Europe also tells the story of an evolving movement. The 14th edition of the Index introduces a brand-new category: “Intersex bodily integrity” and changes in the weight given to different issues it captures. The message is clear: for our movement in Europe, equality and non-discrimination laws, legal gender recognition, bodily integrity, protection from hatred and violence, family rights, and protection of asylum seekers are all interconnected and equally essential for the full enjoyment of human rights for LGBTI people.

Alterations to our criteria make year-on-year comparisons difficult, but certain lessons are clear – countries that are expanding their legislative horizons are moving up in the ranking.

Policymakers, researchers and journalists are able to go ‘behind’ the points and see the original information sources that we base our Map and Index ranking on. This additional layer of information is available through our updated Rainbow Europe web module, www.rainbow-europe.org.

The Rainbow Map and Index presents a picture of what the policy landscape is like currently, while our country-specific recommendations attempt to answer the question “what’s next?” These recommendations are intended to encourage policymakers to address the most pressing legal and policy priorities within the framework of our Rainbow Map and Index. The recommendations were gathered following an online consultation with a wide range of LGBTI organisations in the various countries. As a result, the recommendations are tailored to the needs of activists working on the ground.

Further information:

• The annual IDAHOT+ Forum aims to strengthen cooperation and understanding on LGBTI+ politics between European Governments, International Governmental Organisations, International Civil Society Organisations, Businesses, Academics, and key stakeholders. Find out more about it here.
• Read more on Rainbow Europe Map & Index webpage
• Navigate the Rainbow Europe module here.
• Find the Country Ranking here. 

For further comment, contact: Ana Muñoz Padrós, ILGA-Europe: ana@ilga-europe.org

, +32 493 35 60 55

Every year, ILGA-Europe publishes our Rainbow Map, charting LGBTI rights in 49 European countries. But we’re not the only benchmarking map on the scene. From sexual orientation laws in the world to inclusive churches in Europe, these charts depict the state of LGBTI rights and more across the world.

If you are reading this blog, you may be familiar with ILGA-Europe’s Rainbow Map. Published every May, our Rainbow Europe Map and Index illustrates the legal and policy situation of LGBTI people in 49 European countries. It’s a benchmarking tool that has been consistently tracking the development , both positive and negative, of LGBTI rights over the past 12 years.

This year, our map revealed a widespread and almost complete stagnation on human rights of LGBTI people, marking an unprecedented year in its history, with almost no positive legislative change for LGBTI people in Europe. However, the map pointed towards a gap in the clouds. We are at a juncture when governments can actively choose the right way forward. At least 15 countries have plans and policy discussions already on the table, and therefore the map could look positively different next year.

While we endeavour to chart the legal and policy situation for LGBTI people in Europe with the Rainbow Map, one benchmarking map cannot not cover all aspects of LGBTI rights. Take a look at these LGBTI maps developed by other organisations.

TGEU’s Trans Rights Map

In their map, Transgender Europe illustrate the legal rights of trans people in 54 countries in Europe and Central Asia. This year, the organisation documented an alarming decline in trans rights, as progressive countries have slowed down in increasing protections, while moderate countries have often stalled progress altogether, and a growing number of countries are removing rights from trans people.

Legal Gender Recognition — Mental Health Diagnosis

Legal Gender Recognition — Sterilisation

Asylum

Protection against hate

Non-Discrimination

OII-Europe Intersex Good Practice Map

OII-Europe’s map features nine examples of good practices from the areas of policy action, data collection, monitoring, legal gender recognition, campaigning, anti-discrimination, legislation against hate speech/crime, and funding training and counselling. Check them out here!

ILGA World’s Sexual Orientation Laws Map

Every year, along with its State-Sponsored Homophobia report, ILGA World publishes maps of sexual orientation laws in the world. A useful tool for LGB human rights defenders, these maps expose the arbitrariness of persecutory laws, and starkly indicate the absence of positive law in most parts of the world.

Rainbow Index of Churches in Europe

The European Forum of LGBT Christian Groups and the Protestant Theological University in the Netherlands have collected and analysed data on the official position of churches in Europe on their national levels. You can navigate their map rating the inclusivity of churches by country in regard to LGBTI people.Report on inclusivity of Churches towards LGBTI personsReport commissioned by the European Forum of LGBT Christian Groups and produced by the Protestant Theological…inclusive-churches.eu

Every year, Rainbow Europe ranks all 49 European countries based on the laws and policies in each to ensure equal rights and protection for LGBTI people. Countries are ranked from zero percent to one hundred, with zero representing gross violations of human rights and discrimination and one-hundred representing full respect for human rights and equality.

The past 12 months have marked an unprecedented year in the map’s 12-year history, with almost no positive legislative change for LGBTI people in Europe. With us to discuss this disturbing stand-still, on both European and national levels, and the ways forward both at  European and national levels, are ILGA-Europe’s Executive Director, Evelyne Paradis, our colleague, Bjorn Van Roozendaal, Alexa Moore from Transgender NI in Northern Ireland, Alexa Moore, and Kaspars Zalitis from Mozaika in Latvia.

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

Published on May 17, ILGA-Europe’s Rainbow Europe Map & Index 2021 reveals a disturbing stand-still on LGBTI human rights across Europe. But what are the reasons for this deadlock, small advancements and worrying regressions, and navigate more maps on LGBTI rights in the region.

For the first time since ILGA-Europe published its first Rainbow Map in 2009, which benchmarks every European country on the legal and policy situation of LGBTI people, we have seen no positive change in 70% of the region.

The reasons behind the stand-still

It would be easy to blame COVID-19 for the almost complete lack of legal progress, but the reality is far more complex. Although the global health crisis has certainly played a role, we already reported a growing stagnation of LGBTI rights last year, before the pandemic spread in Europe. Besides, it was clarified in Europe that a difficult health context shouldn’t be an excuse to put human rights on the back-burner. During the worst of the COVID-19 crisis, the European Commission kept human rights on the agenda, leading by example with the adoption of the EU LGBTIQ Equality Strategy in November 2020, the first of its kind.

The truth is that in many countries progress has stopped because there’s increased political polarisation on LGBTI issues, because some elected officials no longer see gains to be made by supporting LGBTI equality, and because governments don’t see it as a priority issue. Meanwhile LGBTI people across Europe, and not only in the most media reported countries like Poland, Hungary and Turkey, are experiencing more political repression, difficult socio-economic conditions and an increase of LGBTI-phobic hatred online and in the streets.

The good news is that there are systems for change already in place

In at least 15 countries there are legislative proposals and action plans on the table, waiting to be adopted and implemented by political representatives. If governments choose to do the right thing, the map can look positively different next year. Their response against the current backlash on LGBTI people must be more and better concrete action, because human rights simply cannot be something you drop when circumstances are challenging.

In some countries there has been a little positive progression

• Bosnia & Herzegovina and North Macedonia improved the safety in LGBTI events, so LGBTI people are better protected when exercising their right to freedom of assembly.
• Portugal and Northern Ireland revoked all restrictions on LGBTI people for blood donation.
• Iceland implemented legal recognition for non-binary people.
• Malta added sex characteristics under protected grounds in the Refugees Act and published new guidelines for LGBTI asylum seekers.
• Albania included sex characteristics protection in anti-discrimination legislation.

But in almost two thirds of Europe, there is a worrying stand-still and regression, including…

• Not one country moved on partnership or parenthood recognition.
• No change for intersex and trans rights apart from Iceland.
• Denmark had the most dramatic drop in its score, as access to trans-specific healthcare is still linked with a mental health assessment in the country.
• Georgia also dropped due to the lack of clear procedure for legal gender recognition and for not protecting LGBTI human rights defenders at risk.
• For the second year in a row, Poland is the last EU country in the ranking. It lost points because LGBTI people are being actively attacked by the police in public events and due to LGBT-free zones resolutions adopted by several Polish towns.

More benchmarking maps

Did you know that other organisations publish benchmarking maps on LGBTI rights too? Check these ones out!

• TGEU’s Trans Rights Europe Map : https://transrightsmap.tgeu.org
• OII-Europe’s Intersex Good Practice Map: https://oiieurope.org/good-practice-map-2020/
• European Forum of LGBT Christian Groups’s Rainbow Index of Churches in Europe: https://inclusive-churches.eu/
• ILGA World’s Sexual Orientation Laws in the World Map: https://ilga.org/maps-sexual-orientation-laws

As the 2021 Rainbow Europe Map reveals widespread and almost complete stagnation on human rights of LGBTI people, we are at a juncture when governments can actively choose the right way forward, says leading LGBTI rights organisation, ILGA-Europe.

Published on Monday, May 17 2021, ILGA-Europe’s annual Rainbow Europe Map and Index, ranking the legal and policy situation of LGBTI people in 49 European countries, finds that over the past 12 months advances in LGBTI rights have come to almost a complete standstill. But, with legislative proposals and action plans on the table in some countries, governments now have the opportunity to ensure the Rainbow Map will look very different this time next year.

Released every year since 2009 on International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, Biphobia, and Intersexphobia (IDAHOBIT), the ILGA-Europe Rainbow Map ranks all 49 European countries on a scale between 0% (gross violations of human rights, discrimination) and 100% (respect of human rights, full equality). The past 12 months have marked an unprecedented year in the Map’s 12-year history, with almost no positive legislative change for LGBTI people in Europe.

Among the broad findings from this year’s Rainbow Europe Map are:

• Against a background of hardly any positive change at all, countries such as Albania, Finland and Portugal have moved up in the ranking, but only because of very small changes implemented.
• Despite clear commitments on rainbow family recognition, not one country has moved on partnership or parenthood recognition.
• After reporting positive changes in bodily integrity or legal gender recognition for many years, there is no change this year for intersex and trans rights apart from Iceland.
• On a positive note, some countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia) now have points on freedom of assembly, reflecting improvements of safety for public LGBTI events

Executive Director of ILGA-Europe, Evelyne Paradis said: “It is deeply worrying to report an almost complete standstill on LGBTI rights and equality, especially at such a critical time for LGBTI communities. In the past year, we’ve seen increased political repression against LGBTI people, a stark rise in socio-economic hardship, and the spreading of LGBTI-phobic hatred on the streets and online across the region. Against this backdrop, the response from governments has to be more and better concrete action, to make sure people are more protected, not less. The human rights of LGBTI people simply cannot be something that you drop when circumstances are challenging.”

Katrin Hugendubel, ILGA-Europe’s Advocacy Director added: “So many legislative processes have been stalled in Europe over the past 12 months, in countries including Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, Kosovo, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. We also see the implementation of existing procedures, for example on legal gender recognition, worsening, including in Georgia, Spain, Serbia and Northern Ireland”.

“It would be easy to blame it all on political attention being immersed in the public health response to COVID-19 and the ensuing economic fall-out, but the reality is a lot more complex. In too many countries, progress is stopped because there’s increased political polarisation on LGBTI issues, because some elected officials no longer see gains to be made by supporting LGBTI equality, and because governments don’t see it as a priority issue. We do really need governments across Europe to relaunch their political commitments to see legislative processes through, and to give everyone the means to ensure full implementation.”

Evelyne Paradis concluded: “There is a silver lining in this story: if governments actively choose to do the right thing and take real action, our Rainbow Map can look positively different by this time next year. At least 15 countries, including France, Kosovo, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Czechia and Ukraine, have legislative proposals, action plans and policy discussions already on the table. Others, such as Montenegro, have to make sure the laws they adopted effectively come into force, while many more know what they can and need to do to make sure their laws and policies have the desired impact for LGBTI lives.

“At a juncture in history when anti-LGBTI forces are rife, not only in headline-grabbing countries like Poland and Hungary, but across Europe, LGBTI people need all governments to seize this moment and make sure Europe remains a committed and active leader in the arena of human rights for everyone.”

Further information:

• Check out ILGA-Europe’s Rainbow Europe Map and Index here.
• Check out the Country Ranking here.

Executive Summary – Rainbow Europe Map & Index 2021

Rainbow Europe – ILGA-Europe’s annual benchmarking tool – comprises the Rainbow Map and Index and national recommendations. ILGA-Europe have produced the Rainbow Map and Index since 2009, using it to illustrate the legal and policy situation of LGBTI people in Europe.

The Rainbow Map and Index ranks 49 European countries on their respective legal and policy practices for LGBTI people, from 0-100%.

In order to create our country ranking, ILGA-Europe examine the laws and policies in 49 countries using a set of criteria. From May 2021, the number of individual criteria used has risen to 71, divided between six thematic categories: equality and non-discrimination; family; hate crime and hate speech; legal gender recognition and bodily integrity; civil society space; and asylum. More information on the list of criteria and their weight on the total score can be found at www.rainbow-europe.org/about 

Rainbow Europe 2021 categories and the percentage ‘weight’ assigned to them remain exactly the same as the 2020 version. ILGA-Europe started assessing two new indicators: “Non-binary recognition” and “Legal gender recognition procedures exist for minors”. They are included under the category of legal gender recognition and bodily integrity; and the percentage ‘weight’ has been altered to accommodate these two new criteria.

Alterations to our criteria make year-on-year comparisons difficult, but certain lessons are clear – countries that are expanding their legislative horizons are moving up in the ranking.

Policymakers, researchers and journalists are able to go ‘behind’ the points and see the original information sources that we base our Map and Index ranking on. This additional layer of information is available through our updated Rainbow Europe web module, www.rainbow-europe.org.

The Rainbow Map and Index presents a picture of what the policy landscape is like currently, while our country-specific recommendations attempt to answer the question “what’s next?” These recommendations are intended to encourage policymakers to address the most pressing legal and policy priorities within the framework of our Rainbow Map and Index. The recommendations were gathered following an online consultation with a wide range of LGBTI organisations in the various countries. As a result, the recommendations are tailored to the needs of activists working on the ground.

For the sixth year in a row, Malta continues to occupy the number one spot on the Rainbow Europe Map, with a score of 94

Belgium comes second place for the fourth time with a score of 74%.

Luxembourg receives 72 points and occupies the third spot on the ranking for the third year in a row.

The three countries at the other end of the Rainbow Europe scale are Azerbaijan (2%), Turkey (4%), and Armenia (8%), exactly the same as last year.

Denmark is the country with the most dramatic drop in its score, losing 3.80% points in relation to the irregularities for the criterion on depathologisation, with access to trans-specific healthcare still linked with a mental health assessment in the country.

Georgia has also dropped by 3.73% due to the lack of clear procedure for legal gender recognition and the risky situation of LGBTI human rights defenders in the country.

Another important deduction happened, with Ukraine losing 3.5% points due to the expiration of the government’s action plan.

Malta, North Macedonia, and Bosnia & Herzegovina are the three countries with the biggest jump in scores. Malta added sex characteristics under protected grounds in the Refugees Act and published new policy guidelines for LGBTI asylum claims. Malta also received points in relation to ILGA-Europe’s new indicators (“Non-binary recognition” and “Legal gender recognition procedures exist for minors”).

North Macedonia and Bosnia & Herzegovina had a big jump in their scores and rankings, due to the fact that freedom of assembly has been improving in both countries.

Equality and non-discrimination

Equality action plans have expired in Albania, Norway, and Ukraine, while France and Kosovo have shortcomings and implementation problems with their action plans. Finland, Ireland, Sweden, and Germany’s Saarland region’s action plans were the only new ones that received points this year. Governments in Bosnia & Herzegovina, Czechia, and Ukraine are in the process of preparation of their next action plans.

Albania included sex characteristics protection in anti-discrimination legislation. The region of Cantabria in Spain introduced a new anti-discrimination law protecting on the ground of sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics. A court in Poland clarified that law prohibits discrimination based on gender identity at workplace.

Portugal and Northern Ireland (UK) revoked all restrictions on LGBTI people for blood donation, making it possible for everyone to donate blood safely and equally. Ukraine announced a similar change, but it hasn’t been enacted yet.

Family

Recognition of family legislation is stagnating across Europe. This year, there was no single legal or policy change affecting LGBTI people.

Hate crime and hate speech

Norway was the only country to extend legal protection from hate crime, amending its Penal Code to add gender identity ground.

Legal gender recognition and bodily integrity

Since 6 January, 2021, legal recognition for non-binary people has been implemented in Iceland, making it the only country in Europe to advance trans rights in the last 12 months.

Trans-specific healthcare became almost impossible to access in Northern Ireland. Activists’ reporting has revealed that trans people are unable to access the medical reports required to go through these processes without paying for private care, thus creating a class barrier to accessing LGR.

Civil society space

North Macedonia and Bosnia & Herzegovina have had no state obstruction of freedom of assembly within the past three years and Pride events were adequately protected by police.

Poland’s civil society space has shrunk more this year, because people are being actively attacked by the police during public events, instead of being protected. Poland also lost points related to freedom of expression, due to the anti-LGBT resolutions that have been passed by local governments.

The other country with a negative trend in this regard is Georgia, which lost points with LGBTI human rights defenders at risk, due to a large number of attacks over the last 12 months.

Asylum

Malta introduced new amendments to the Refugees Act and published new guidelines on asylum claims. This was only development regarding protection of LGBTI asylum rights in the last 12 months.

Finland’s policies regarding LGBTI asylum seekers were criticised by LGBTI civil society for being only project based and not creating any systematic approach or policy. Points were deducted by ILGA-Europe from Finland, based on this report.

The 2021 Rainbow Europe Map reveals widespread and almost complete stagnation on human rights of LGBTI people.

Among the key findings from this year’s Rainbow Europe are:

• Against a background of hardly any positive change at all, countries such as Albania, Finland and Portugal have moved up in the ranking, but only because of very small changes implemented.
• Despite clear commitments on rainbow family recognition, not one country has moved on partnership or parenthood recognition.
• After reporting positive changes in bodily integrity or legal gender recognition for many years, there is no change this year for intersex and trans rights apart from Iceland.
• On a positive note, some countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia) now have points on freedom of assembly, reflecting improvements of safety for public LGBTI events.
• For the sixth year in a row, Malta continues to occupy the number one spot on the Rainbow Europe Map, while Belgium comes second place for the fourth time, and Luxembourg occupies the third spot on the ranking for the third year in a row. 
• The three countries at the bottom end of the Rainbow Europe Map are Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Armenia, exactly the same as last year. 
• For the second year in a row, Poland continues to occupy the lowest ranking in the EU.
• Ukraine has gone down four places from 36 to 40, due to the expiration of its government’s action plan, while Georgia has gone down two places, from 30 to 32, due to the lack of clear procedure for legal gender recognition and the risky situation of LGBTI human rights defenders in the country.
• Malta, North Macedonia, and Bosnia & Herzegovina are the three countries with the biggest jump in scores. Malta added sex characteristics under protected grounds in the Refugees Act and published new policy guidelines for LGBTI asylum claims, while in both North Macedonia and Bosnia & Herzegovina freedom of assembly has been improving. 

Executive Summary

Rainbow Europe – ILGA-Europe’s annual benchmarking tool – comprises the Rainbow Map and Index and national recommendations. ILGA-Europe have produced the Rainbow Map and Index since 2009, using it to illustrate the legal and policy situation of LGBTI people in Europe.

The Rainbow Map and Index ranks 49 European countries on their respective legal and policy practices for LGBTI people, from 0-100%.

In order to create our country ranking, ILGA-Europe examine the laws and policies in 49 countries using a set of criteria. From May 2021, the number of individual criteria used has risen to 71, divided between six thematic categories: equality and non-discrimination; family; hate crime and hate speech; legal gender recognition and bodily integrity; civil society space; and asylum. More information on the list of criteria and their weight on the total score can be found at www.rainbow-europe.org/about 

Rainbow Europe 2021 categories and the percentage ‘weight’ assigned to them remain exactly the same as the 2020 version. ILGA-Europe started assessing two new indicators: “Non-binary recognition” and “Legal gender recognition procedures exist for minors”. They are included under the category of legal gender recognition and bodily integrity; and the percentage ‘weight’ has been altered to accommodate these two new criteria.

Alterations to our criteria make year-on-year comparisons difficult, but certain lessons are clear – countries that are expanding their legislative horizons are moving up in the ranking.

Policymakers, researchers and journalists are able to go ‘behind’ the points and see the original information sources that we base our Map and Index ranking on. This additional layer of information is available through our updated Rainbow Europe web module, www.rainbow-europe.org.

The Rainbow Map and Index presents a picture of what the policy landscape is like currently, while our country-specific recommendations attempt to answer the question “what’s next?” These recommendations are intended to encourage policymakers to address the most pressing legal and policy priorities within the framework of our Rainbow Map and Index. The recommendations were gathered following an online consultation with a wide range of LGBTI organisations in the various countries. As a result, the recommendations are tailored to the needs of activists working on the ground.

In light of the COVID-19 crisis, the annual ILGA-Europe Rainbow Map shows we have come to a pivotal moment for LGBTI people’s human rights in the region.

Published today, May 14, 2020, the ILGA-Europe Rainbow Map and Index reveals that once-leading countries in Europe are falling behind in their commitments to equality for LGBTI people. Combined with the COVID-19 pandemic, which disproportionately affects the most vulnerable and is being used by some governments as an excuse to advance their agendas to curtail human rights, the Map’s findings identify a make-or-break moment for LGBTI equality in Europe.

Key findings of the Rainbow Map 2020 include:

• There has been no positive change in 49% of countries
• For the second year in a row, countries are moving backwards on the Rainbow Index, as existing protections are disappearing
• Trans rights are where most of the current movement in terms of LGBTI equality is happening, for better or worse.
• Other forward movement, although on a smaller scale, is in the inclusion of equality measures protecting intersex people against discrimination
• Regression is most visible where civil and political rights are eroded: LGBTI human rights defenders increasingly at risk, authorities taking active measures to undermine civil society associations, and attempts to ban public events

According to Executive Director of ILGA-Europe, Evelyne Paradis: “This is a critical time for LGBTI equality in Europe. With each year passing, more and more countries, including champions of LGBTI equality, continue to fall behind in their commitments to equality for LGBTI people, while more governments take active measures to target LGBTI communities. History shows that those who are vulnerable before a crisis only become more vulnerable after a crisis, so we have every reason to worry that political complacency, increased repression and socio-economic hardship will create a perfect storm for many LGBTI people in Europe in the next few years.”
 
“Our call to put high political priority on LGBTI equality has never been more pressing. The results of this year’s Rainbow Map show that equality measures are falling through the cracks in several countries, not because of lack of political and public support but because of widespread complacency about the need for LGBTI equality measures. Fewer and fewer decision-makers are picking up the mantle to see important pieces of legislation through and keep political momentum, so processes are stalling or not being followed up. There are reasons to be extremely worried that this situation will spread as political attention is immersed in the economic fall-out of COVID-19.”

Amidst overall stagnation and regression, advances continue to be made on trans and intersex rights. Indeed, most of the positive changes reported this year take place in countries which included gender identity and sex characteristics in equality laws (as was the case in Andorra, Belgium, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, and Switzerland) and adopted new legal gender recognition (LGR) legislation which respects the principle of self-determination (Iceland) and gives minors access to LGR (Spain). However, in an increasing number of countries, LGR legislative measures are being stalled (Albania, Cyprus, Finland and Sweden), including in the context of a hostile climate on trans rights fuelled by opposition groups, as was the case in the UK. A number of countries are also losing points this year (namely Hungary, Azerbaijan, Serbia, and the UK) because existing administrative and legal procedures that allow for name or gender marker change in official documents for trans people are not effective in practice.

According to Viima Lampinen, Co-chair of the ILGA-Europe Executive Board: “The news that more governments are adopting laws that protect trans, intersex and non-binary people must be read with extreme caution. Targeted attacks on trans rights by opposition groups have been observed in an increasing number of countries across the region, especially transphobic speech fuelled online. The safety and wellbeing of trans communities in Europe remains precarious and only made more fragile by governments’ responses to the current pandemic, which is affecting these communities particularly hard. Trans, intersex and non-binary people need governments to stand strong as vocal allies, taking all necessary steps to secure their rights in law and in practice, and taking their needs into consideration in their COVID-19 responses.”

The 11th ILGA-Europe Rainbow Map is published at an unprecedented time in the world, during which vulnerable minorities, including LGBTI people, are particularly affected and the inequalities in our societies have been starkly brought into focus. Along with this, a number of European governments have used the pandemic as an excuse to make aggressive moves against LGBTI and other human rights. This is happening at a time when countries like Poland (dropping to the bottom of the EU ranking) and Turkey are going backwards on the Rainbow Index for having failed to uphold such fundamental freedoms as freedom of assembly, freedom of association and protection of human rights defenders. 

Says Darienne Flemington, Co-chair of the ILGA-Europe Executive Board: “Countries like Hungary, Poland, Turkey have been in the spotlight because of their policies targeting LGBTI communities prior to the pandemic. The proposed ban of legal gender recognition in Hungary, proposed laws to ban abortion and sex education in Poland, scapegoating of LGBTI people as the source of the coronavirus by Turkey’s political leaders – these are all alarming signals of how governments with strong authoritarian tendencies are emboldened by the crisis to further limit the rights of vulnerable groups and minorities. If there was ever a time for European governments and institutions to stand firm on the rule of law and human rights, it is now.”

Evelyne Paradis concludes: “Amidst the public health emergency and economic turmoil we are facing, there is a crisis of structural inequality unfolding as well, one that makes the many vulnerable people in our societies even more at risk. In the current climate, it is only more evident that laws and policies are often the last lines of defence for LGBTI communities as other marginalised groups. That’s why it’s never been more important that governments enshrine the protection of LGBTI people into law and take concrete measures to make sure that they can live as who they are in societies that are just, equal and fair.” 

The official launch of the ILGA-Europe Rainbow Map and Index 2020 will be broadcast on Facebook Live, May 14 at 3pm CET, with a round-table discussion bringing together panellists from civil society and policy makers. 

Executive Summary

Rainbow Europe – ILGA-Europe’s annual benchmarking tool – is comprised of the Rainbow Map and Index and national recommendations. ILGA-Europe have produced the Rainbow Map and Index since 2009, using it to illustrate the legal and policy situation of LGBTI people in Europe.

The Rainbow Map and Index ranks 49 European countries on their respective legal and policy practices for LGBTI people, from 0-100%.

In order to create our country ranking, ILGA-Europe examine the laws and policies in 49 countries using a set of 69 criteria – divided between six thematic categories: equality and non-discrimination; family; hate crime and hate speech; legal gender recognition and bodily integrity; civil society space; and asylum. More information on the list of criteria and their weight on the total score can be found at www.rainbow-europe.org/about 

Rainbow Europe 2020 individual criteria and the percentage ‘weight’ assigned to them remain exactly the same as the 2019 version, meaning that it is easier than ever before to compare a country’s momentum or regression on LGBTI equality laws.

Policymakers, researchers and journalists are able to go ‘behind’ the points and see the original information sources that we base our Map and Index ranking on. This additional layer of information is available through our updated Rainbow Europe web module, www.rainbow-europe.org. 

The Rainbow Map and Index presents a picture of what the policy landscape is like right now, while our country-specific recommendations attempt to answer the question “what’s next?” These recommendations for national policymakers are intended to encourage policymakers to address the most pressing legal and policy priorities within the framework of our Rainbow Map and Index. The recommendations were gathered following an online consultation with a wide range of LGBTI organisations in the various countries. As a result, the recommendations are tailored to the needs of activists working on the ground.

For the fifth year in a row, Malta continues to occupy the number one spot on the Rainbow Europe Map, with a score of 89%. 

Belgium comes second place for the third time with a score of 73%.

Luxembourg receives the same score as Belgium and occupies the third spot on the ranking for the second year in a row. 

The three countries at the other end of the Rainbow Europe scale are Azerbaijan (2%), Turkey (4%), and Armenia (8%). Turkey’s score has been decreasing since 2015, due to restrictions on freedom of assembly and association. Azerbaijan has also lost points over the past two years due to irregularities on legal gender recognition. 

Hungary is the country with the most dramatic drop in its score, losing 8.46% points in relation to the suspended procedures for legal gender recognition and the lack of proper state protection at public events. Poland has also dropped by 1.9% and is now the lowest EU country on the map. 

Another important deduction happened, with France losing 6.80% points due to the expiration of the government’s action plan. 

Montenegro, North Macedonia, and the Netherlands were the three countries with the biggest jump in scores. Montenegro announced a comprehensive action plan for the next four years and prohibited discrimination based on sex characteristics. North Macedonia amended its equality and criminal codes, adding sexual orientation and gender identity as protected grounds. In the Netherlands, the Equal Treatment Act was amended with the inclusion of gender identity, gender expression, and sex characteristics grounds. 

Equality action plans have expired in Belgium, Finland, and France, while Croatia, Ireland, and Kosovo have shortcomings and implementation problems with their action plans. Serbia and Andorra included sexual orientation and gender identity protection in healthcare legislation. Belgium and the Netherlands were the only countries that recognised ‘sex characteristics’ in their equality laws.

Recognition of family legislation is stagnating across Europe. This year, only Northern Ireland (UK) introduced marriage equality and Monaco recognised the right to cohabitation for same-sex couples (coming into effect on 27 June 2020). Serbia imposed a ban on medically assisted insemination services for people with a history of same-sex relationships.

Court judgements in several countries had groundbreaking effects on the lives of LGBTI people, including Spain’s Constitutional Court’s ruling against the age limit for gender marker change for trans people; Switzerland’s Federal Court decision saying that the Constitution protects ‘gender identity’ under ‘sex/gender’; and Kosovo’s Basic Court decision approving the legal gender recognition of a trans man.

North Macedonia was this year’s only country extending protection from hate crime, amending its Criminal Code to add sexual orientation and gender identity grounds. Switzerland’s referendum approved the inclusion of ‘sexual orientation’ grounds in the Criminal Code. 

The right to self-determination for trans people has been recognised only in Iceland with its new Gender Autonomy Act. Legal gender recognition procedures have become more accessible through trans activists’ efforts in Armenia, Cyprus, Kosovo, and Montenegro. The implementation of existing procedures has worsened in Azerbaijan, Georgia, Serbia, Turkey, and Northern Ireland (UK).

ILGA-Europe Rainbow Map and Index 2020 reveals that once-leading countries in Europe are falling behind in their commitments to equality for LGBTI people.

Key findings of the Rainbow Map 2020 include (as of May 2020):

• There has been no positive change in 49% of countries
• For the second year in a row, countries are moving backwards on the Rainbow Index, as existing protections are disappearing
• Trans rights are where most of the current movement in terms of LGBTI equality is happening, for better or worse.
• Other forward movement, although on a smaller scale, is in the inclusion of equality measures protecting intersex people against discrimination
• Regression is most visible where civil and political rights are eroded: LGBTI human rights defenders increasingly at risk, authorities taking active measures to undermine civil society associations, and attempts to ban public events.

Executive Summary

Rainbow Europe – ILGA-Europe’s annual benchmarking tool – is comprised of the Rainbow Map and Index and national recommendations. ILGA-Europe have produced the Rainbow Map and Index since 2009, using it to illustrate the legal and policy situation of LGBTI people in Europe.

The Rainbow Map and Index ranks 49 European countries on their respective legal and policy practices for LGBTI people, from 0-100%.

In order to create our country ranking, ILGA-Europe examine the laws and policies in 49 countries using a set of 69 criteria – divided between six thematic categories: equality and non-discrimination; family; hate crime and hate speech; legal gender recognition and bodily integrity; civil society space; and asylum. More information on the list of criteria and their weight on the total score can be found at www.rainbow-europe.org/about 

Rainbow Europe 2020 individual criteria and the percentage ‘weight’ assigned to them remain exactly the same as the 2019 version, meaning that it is easier than ever before to compare a country’s momentum or regression on LGBTI equality laws.

Policymakers, researchers and journalists are able to go ‘behind’ the points and see the original information sources that we base our Map and Index ranking on. This additional layer of information is available through our updated Rainbow Europe web module, www.rainbow-europe.org. 

The Rainbow Map and Index presents a picture of what the policy landscape is like right now, while our country-specific recommendations attempt to answer the question “what’s next?” These recommendations for national policymakers are intended to encourage policymakers to address the most pressing legal and policy priorities within the framework of our Rainbow Map and Index. The recommendations were gathered following an online consultation with a wide range of LGBTI organisations in the various countries. As a result, the recommendations are tailored to the needs of activists working on the ground.

For the fifth year in a row, Malta continues to occupy the number one spot on the Rainbow Europe Map, with a score of 89%. 

Belgium comes second place for the third time with a score of 73%.

Luxembourg receives the same score as Belgium and occupies the third spot on the ranking for the second year in a row. 

The three countries at the other end of the Rainbow Europe scale are Azerbaijan (2%), Turkey (4%), and Armenia (8%). Turkey’s score has been decreasing since 2015, due to restrictions on freedom of assembly and association. Azerbaijan has also lost points over the past two years due to irregularities on legal gender recognition. 

Hungary is the country with the most dramatic drop in its score, losing 8.46% points in relation to the suspended procedures for legal gender recognition and the lack of proper state protection at public events. Poland has also dropped by 1.9% and is now the lowest EU country on the map. 

Another important deduction happened, with France losing 6.80% points due to the expiration of the government’s action plan. 

Montenegro, North Macedonia, and the Netherlands were the three countries with the biggest jump in scores. Montenegro announced a comprehensive action plan for the next four years and prohibited discrimination based on sex characteristics. North Macedonia amended its equality and criminal codes, adding sexual orientation and gender identity as protected grounds. In the Netherlands, the Equal Treatment Act was amended with the inclusion of gender identity, gender expression, and sex characteristics grounds. 

Equality action plans have expired in Belgium, Finland, and France, while Croatia, Ireland, and Kosovo have shortcomings and implementation problems with their action plans. Serbia and Andorra included sexual orientation and gender identity protection in healthcare legislation. Belgium and the Netherlands were the only countries that recognised ‘sex characteristics’ in their equality laws.

Recognition of family legislation is stagnating across Europe. This year, only Northern Ireland (UK) introduced marriage equality and Monaco recognised the right to cohabitation for same-sex couples (coming into effect on 27 June 2020). Serbia imposed a ban on medically assisted insemination services for people with a history of same-sex relationships.

Court judgements in several countries had groundbreaking effects on the lives of LGBTI people, including Spain’s Constitutional Court’s ruling against the age limit for gender marker change for trans people; Switzerland’s Federal Court decision saying that the Constitution protects ‘gender identity’ under ‘sex/gender’; and Kosovo’s Basic Court decision approving the legal gender recognition of a trans man.

North Macedonia was this year’s only country extending protection from hate crime, amending its Criminal Code to add sexual orientation and gender identity grounds. Switzerland’s referendum approved the inclusion of ‘sexual orientation’ grounds in the Criminal Code. 

The right to self-determination for trans people has been recognised only in Iceland with its new Gender Autonomy Act. Legal gender recognition procedures have become more accessible through trans activists’ efforts in Armenia, Cyprus, Kosovo, and Montenegro. The implementation of existing procedures has worsened in Azerbaijan, Georgia, Serbia, Turkey, and Northern Ireland (UK).

Rainbow Europe 2019 reveals not only a standstill in a significant number of European countries but a visible backslide on laws and policies safeguarding equality and human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex (LGBTI) people.

Officially unveiled today in Oslo (13 May 2019) at the annual intergovernmental Forum marking the International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia, Transphobia, and Interphobia (IDAHOBIT), the 2019 Rainbow Europe Map is sending an unequivocal message to national governments and European institutions alike: we can no longer ignore to the backlash!

Decline is indeed clearly noticeable on this year’s Rainbow Map, ILGA-Europe’s annual benchmarking tool, which ranks 49 countries in Europe on their LGBTI equality laws and policies. For the first time in the Index’s ten-year history, countries are moving backwards as existing laws and policies disappeared: Poland no longer provides access to medically assisted reproduction for single women, while Bulgaria removed all their administrative and legal procedures for changing name or gender marker in the official documents for trans people. Serbia and Kosovo did not renew their equality action plans. Bulgaria, Hungary and Turkey are countries which slide back on the ranking because of their governments’ failure to uphold fundamental civil and political rights such as freedom of assembly, freedom of association and protection of human rights defenders over the past year. The result is an increasingly unsafe and unsustainable environment for LGBTI organisations and human rights defenders in a growing number of countries.

The 2019 Rainbow Europe also tells the story of an evolving movement. The 10^th edition of the Index introduces changes in the weight given to different issues it captures. As a result, it gives a more accurate picture of what LGBTI people really need and what matters to the lives of different parts of the LGBTI communities. The message is clear: for our movement in Europe, equality and non-discrimination laws, legal gender recognition, bodily integrity, protection from hatred and violence, and family rights are all interconnected and equally essential for the full enjoyment of human rights for LGBTI people.

Over the last 10 years, the legal and human rights situation of LGBTI people has dramatically changed and the patterns on the Map have started to show different stories year after year. Every year, some countries surprise us by taking significant steps towards the best existing standards, leaving other countries, once known to lead on LGBTI equality, further behind.

Rainbow Europe 2019 – executive summary

Rainbow Europe – ILGA-Europe’s annual benchmarking tool – is comprised of the Rainbow Map & Index. ILGA-Europe have produced the Rainbow Map&Index since 2009, using it to illustrate the legal and policy situation of LGBTI people in Europe.

The Rainbow Map & Index ranks 49 European countries on their respective legal and policy practices for LGBTI people, from 0-100%.

For the fourth year in a row, Malta (90%) appears at the top of the Rainbow Europe country ranking. Belgium got the second place for the second time with their score 73%. Luxembourg now occupies third place (70%) – this is a rise of seventeen places (20^th position in May 2018), mainly fuelled by the well-modified legal gender recognition law based on self-determination and a comprehensive national action plan. The three countries at the other end of the Rainbow Europe scale are Azerbaijan (3%), Turkey (5%), and Armenia (7%) completing the list of 49 countries. Turkey’s place has been decreasing since 2015.

In order to create our country ranking, ILGA-Europe examine the laws and policies in 49 countries using a set of criteria – from May 2019, the number of individual criteria used rises to 69. These criteria are divided between six thematic categories: equality and non-discrimination; family; hate crime and hate speech; legal gender recognition and bodily integrity; civil society space; and asylum.

Alterations to our criteria make year-on-year comparisons difficult but certain lessons are clear – countries that are expanding their legislative horizons are moving ahead.

ILGA-Europe are also very proud to announce that policymakers, researchers and journalists are able to go ‘behind’ the dots and see the original information sources that we base our Map and Index ranking on. This additional layer of information is available through our updated Rainbow Europe web module, www.rainbow-europe.org.

The Rainbow Map & Index presents a picture of what the policy landscape is like right now, while our country-specific recommendations attempt to answer the question “what’s next?” These recommendations for national policymakers are intended to encourage policymakers to address the most pressing legal and policy priorities within the framework of our Rainbow Map & Index.

While ILGA-Europe are urging national authorities to follow these recommendations, we did not come up with the suggestions unilaterally. The recommendations were gathered following an online consultation with a wide range of LGBTI organisations in the various countries. As a result, the recommendations are tailored to the needs of activists working on the ground.

ILGA-Europe’s annual benchmarking tool, which ranks 49 countries in Europe on their LGBTI equality laws and policies, reveals not only a standstill but a visible backslide on laws and policies safeguarding equality and human rights of LGBTI people.

Decline is indeed clearly noticeable on this year’s Rainbow Map. For the first time in the Index’s ten-year history, countries are moving backwards as existing laws and policies disappeared: Poland no longer provides access to medically assisted reproduction for single women, while Bulgaria removed all their administrative and legal procedures for changing name or gender marker in the official documents for trans people. 

Serbia and Kosovo did not renew their equality action plans. Bulgaria, Hungary and Turkey are countries which slide back on the ranking because of their governments’ failure to uphold fundamental civil and political rights such as freedom of assembly, freedom of association and protection of human rights defenders over the past year.

The result is an increasingly unsafe and unsustainable environment for LGBTI organisations and human rights defenders in a growing number of countries.

The 2019 Rainbow Europe also tells the story of an evolving movement. The 10^th edition of the Index introduces changes in the weight given to different issues it captures. The message is clear: for our movement in Europe, equality and non-discrimination laws, legal gender recognition, bodily integrity, protection from hatred and violence, and family rights are all interconnected and equally essential for the full enjoyment of human rights for LGBTI people.

The Rainbow Map&Index presents a picture of what the policy landscape is like right now, while our Recommendations attempt to answer the question “what’s next?” These country-spesific recommendations for national policymakers are intended to encourage policymakers to address the most pressing legal and policy priorities within the framework of our Rainbow Map&Index.