On 28 July, the parliament in Bulgaria adopted several amendments to its Penal Code that protects against hate crimes motivated by a victim’s sexual orientation. According to our member organisation GLAS Foundation, this is the first significant legislative change in favour of LGBTI people in Bulgaria since the adoption of the Protection from Discrimination Act in 2004. The amendment came into effect on 8 August. (Photo by GLAS Foundation)

On 20 August, 28-year-old trans woman Adriana was brutally murdered in her own apartment in Yerevan. After the murder, her apartment was set on fire. A day later, a group of assailants attacked the participants of a candlelit vigil in memory of Adriana organised by the Right Side NGO in Yerevan. ILGA-Europe deplore the brutal murder of Adriana and send our deepest condolences to her family and friends. Her killer must be brought to justice by the Armenian authorities and the investigation must take into account that this was a bias motivated murder. (Photo by Right Side NGO)

EU accession has once again taken centre stage on Turkey’s political agenda. Since his re-election in May 2023, President Erdoğan has reignited EU accession conversations, stagnant for several years. However, amid this renewed pursuit, the attacks on Pride events and potential regressive changes to the constitution underscore the precarious state of human rights in Turkey. Upholding the fundamental rights of all, including LGBTI people, and ensuring the rule of law remain the cornerstones of the EU. Any future discussions regarding closer ties with the EU must hinge on Turkey’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding these principles.

On 15 August, Kyrgyzstan enacted a new law that aims to restrict freedom of expression and access to information about LGBTI people, identities, rights, and lives. Formally, the law seeks to ban dissemination of harmful information among minors, while labelling as harmful also information that “denounces family and traditional societal values, promotes non-traditional sexual relations and initiates disrespect towards parents or other family members.” The law came into force on 30 August. Together with our members and partners, ILGA-Europe will continue to advocate for the rights of LGBTI people in Kyrgyzstan and will be rallying support and solidarity for LGBTI organisations and their allies in the country.

In our brand-new episode of our Frontline Podcast, we ask the question, if a country stays at the bottom of the Rainbow Map ranking, where advocacy is not possible, and 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?

Justice & Peace Netherlands launched a new call for applications for human rights defenders at risk to participate in Shelter City Netherlands in March 2024. Shelter City provides temporary safe and inspiring spaces for human rights defenders at risk where they re-energise, receive tailormade support and engage with allies. From March 2024 onwards, several cities in the Netherlands will receive human rights defenders for a period of three months.

On 23 August, the German federal government agreed on a draft law for legal gender recognition based on self-determination. In the fall, the cabinet draft will enter the parliamentary process in the Bundestag. Contrary to the earlier versions of the draft law, it suggests a three month waiting period and other harmful provisions. ILGA-Europe will work with activists to ensure that the law is in line with international human rights standards and free of discriminatory provisions.

On 30 August, the Journal of Family Violence published a new academic article entitled “Family abuse targeting queer family members: An argument to address problems of visibility in local services and civic life” authored by Catherine Donovan, Jasna Magić and Sarah West. The research concludes that the wider civic context can play a part in sending messages to queer folk that local services are for them and that there is a role for civic leaders to improve the visibility and confidence of local queer folk as citizens.
Read the article as open access.