For decades, men who have sex with men (MSM) have been barred from donating blood or subject to discriminatory rules. Now, as both our Rainbow Map and Annual Review 2023 show, an increasing number of countries in Europe are dismantling these discriminatory practices. In 2022, 11 countries lifted bans or reduced deferral periods for blood donations from MSM (and trans people in some cases). Bans were lifted in France, Greece, Ireland, Lithuania, Slovenia, Austria, and Armenia.

We asked nine LGBTI activists to project themselves into 2040 and imagine different futures for the LGBTI movement across Europe and Central Asia: How did we get better at mobilising with others on social justice issues? The interviews are published in a zine that doesn’t intend or aspire to present the future, but rather to present a snapshot and selection of possible futures without any demand that we fix on one. It’s the act of multiple imaginings that matters.

On 16 May, LGBTI activists Zhannar Sekerbayeva and Gulzada Serzhan from a feminist initiative Feminita raised a rainbow flag at the Mausoleum of Khawaja Ahmad Yasawi in Kazakhstan. The event aimed to promote LGBTI rights and visibility. Kazakhstan prohibits same-sex marriages and discriminates against trans people by restricting legal gender recognition. The action by Feminita sheds light on ongoing efforts for LGBTI rights in the country.

On 17 May, during a European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) meeting in Uzbekistan, LGBTI rights activist Nezir Sinani was harassed by Uzbek authorities. Sinani, co-director of Re-course, was prevented from entering the meeting venue in Samarkand and had his meeting materials confiscated. The authorities seized Pride-themed tote bags. Sinani’s case urged the EBRD and other international financial institutions, supporting Uzbekistan, to condemn such actions and demand the repeal of discriminatory laws targeting the LGBTI community. (Photo courtesy of Caspar Veldkamp/Twitter)

Kyrgyzstan risks losing a $29 million grant for HIV prevention and treatment as MPs dissolved the coordinating committee fighting HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria last month. MPs opposed the committee’s support to projects targeting men who have sex with men, stating it goes against “national traditions.” The dissolution reflects a concerning pattern of instrumentalising LGBTI issues and stifling social debates in the name of so-called “traditional values.”

UNAIDS launched an online survey to get feedback from communities on the impact of humanitarian emergencies on people living with HIV, and their perspective on a minimum package of service interventions for people living with HIV during such emergencies. The survey results will help UNAIDS to write a report on HIV response for people living with HIV during humanitarian crises and emergencies. The survey has 13 questions and takes 15-20 minutes to finish.

On 11 May, Transgender Europe (TGEU) launched the latest version of their Trans Rights Index and Map. According to the research, the past 12 months saw an increase in trans rights in the region on the whole, however, the risk of regression and anti-trans backlash is pressing at the same time. Some countries lost points in 2023, and are in danger of further regression.
Access the interactive map.