Today at a conference in Ljubljana, organised by Europe’s leading LGBTI organisation, ILGA-Europe, Slovenia’s State Secretary at the Ministry of Labour, Dan Juvan, committed to the next steps in preparing the National Strategy for the Equality of LGBTIQ+ Persons. 

Today, October 27, marks a significant step forward in the journey toward equality and inclusion for the LGBTIQ+ community in Slovenia.

At a press conference during the ILGA-Europe Annual Conference in Ljubljana, which brings together hundreds of LGBTI activists from 54 countries in Europe and Central Asia, Slovenia’s State Secretary at the Ministry of Labour, Dan Juvan (MDDSZEM), further committed to the preparation and publication of the country’s first national strategy for LGBTIQ+ persons.

“Homophobic and transphobic violence exists and remains; individuals do not feel safe. That is why I am here, representing the ministry and the Levica party, to commit ourselves to addressing this issue. In the end, it is crucial that we discuss specific policies and measures to identify problems and find solutions,” State Secretary Juvan said.

This further commitment comes after the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs, and Equal Opportunities was directed by the Parliamentary Commission for Petitions, Human Rights, and Equal Opportunities last July to prepare and adopt the National Strategy for the Equality of LGBTIQ+ Persons in Slovenia in 2024.

Slovenia has made progress in safeguarding LGBTI rights, but challenges persist, particularly in areas concerning legal protection, education, healthcare, and overall social security. The urgent need for a comprehensive National Strategy for the Equality of LGBTIQ+ Persons in Slovenia is underscored by the rise in anti-LGBTIQ+ rhetoric and physical violence against LGBTIQ+ people in the country.

Over the next 14 months, the Slovenian government has committed to engaging in extensive consultations with civil society representatives and relevant institutions across various sectors. These consultations will form the foundation of our National LGBTIQ+ strategy and action plan, ensuring that it is effective and reflective of the diverse needs of the community.

Also in attendance at the press conference was Head of the Slovenian Equality Body, Miha Lobnik.

“In Slovenia, we have committed to implementing systematic anti-discrimination policies,” Lobnik said. “However, we lack a central focal point that systematically addresses minority issues, aligning with both national and EU commissions’ expectations.

“The government must take responsibility for systematically and effectively addressing minority concerns. Today’s discussion was a chance to focus on this area. I have called on governments twice before, and now this government faces the challenge of actually following through. A clear plan and concrete steps are crucial.

According to Katja Štefanec of Ljubljana Pride Association: “We recognise the crucial roles of both our Ministry of Education and Ministry of Labour in this process and are actively seeking cross-sectoral cooperation with various stakeholders, as we aim to enhance the impact of the strategy across diverse areas of influence and change-making efforts.

“We look ahead to 2024 with big expectations and will work closely with those responsible for the creation of a create a strategy that will enhance the protection of LGBTIQ people’s human rights in Slovenia and create a more inclusive, accepting society for all.”

ILGA-Europe’s Advocacy Director, Katrin Hugendubel added: “Over the past few years, we have seen a stark rise in the levels and severity of anti-LGBTI hate and violence across Europe. In this context and at this moment in time, we very much welcome the political commitment of the Slovenian government to develop a national action plan to tackle LGBTIQ+ discrimination by the end of 2024. We echo the call of national LGBTIQ+ organisations that they are involved in the development of the plan over the next 12 months. Their close involvement is essential, as they know the realities of the needs of the community this plan will address.”

Our latest Intersections report on bi experiences in Europe has some interesting findings, both good and bad. To mark Bisexual Awareness Week, here are some key facts based on the region’s largest LGBTI survey to date about bi people and their lived experiences.

Bisexual Awareness Week is a time to celebrate the diverse and unique experiences of bi people and to raise awareness of the specific challenges they face. In our latest Intersections report, which focuses on the experiences of bisexual people, we found that the gap in data when it comes to understanding the lives of LGBTI people is particularly significant among those who identify as bi.

Many studies show that bisexual people are far less connected to LGBTI communities compared to gays and lesbians. Consequently, the data in this report may not be as representative of bisexual people as, for example, lesbian and gay people. Nevertheless, here are four outstanding findings:

1. Age plays a significant role

More young LGBTI respondents identify as bi, with 52.92% of those under 24 years old compared to 32.38% of those over 55.

While the percentage of people identifying as lesbian remains fairly consistent across age groups, there’s a big difference in people identifying as gay. Nearly half of those over 55 (45.66%) said they were gay, while just over a quarter of younger individuals (26.12%) said the same.

This data suggests that younger bi men may be more open about their identity. LGBTI youth may be more inclined to break traditional ideas of monosexuality and rigid binary gender categories. These strict norms can make it harder for people to recognise and proudly embrace a bi+ identity, including being bisexual.

2. More than half of bi people identify as women

50.52% of bisexuals identify as women, 39.99% as men, and 5.14% as non-binary. Additionally, 16.92% identify as trans, and 1.94% as intersex.

When asked about other communities they identify with, 7.92% of bi individuals consider themselves part of an ethnic group, including migrants, and 6.97% have disabilities.

3. Bi women are more exposed to violence

Among all sexual orientation groups, bi women respondents report the highest rates of violence, with up to 31% experiencing violence. Bisexual women are also the most likely to experience a sexual attack.

Notably, violence rates are highest among intersex bisexual individuals (57.10%), trans bisexual individuals (37.84%), nonbinary bisexual people (37.23%), and bisexual people with disabilities (41.70%).

4. Bi people are less open than gays and lesbians, but the trend is changing!

Over 50% of bisexual men and about over 30% of bi women are never open, our report shows.

Lesbian and gay individuals are on average more open about their sexual orientation compared to bisexual individuals. This disparity may be attributed to biphobia and the dual stigma faced by bisexual individuals.

The reluctance to be open may stem from fear of societal rejection, which appears to be more pronounced for bisexual men due to stricter gender norms.

In many societies, there’s an expectation of being heterosexual or exclusively gay or lesbian. This makes bisexuality, and other bi+ orientations, often seen as invalid or not taken seriously. Bisexual people also face stigma not only from heterosexuals but also from lesbian and gay communities. Consequently, many bi people are hesitant to be open to heterosexual people but also among LGBTI communities.

However, there’s a silver lining as it is heartening to see that younger bi people are increasingly open about their identity, living their lives authentically, and embracing themselves and others.

To learn more, explore our latest Intersections Report and check out the whole series here!

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?

At the recent Democracy Alive conference in Brussels, our Executive Director, Evelyne Paradis spoke about the DNA that drives LGBTI activists in a Europe where there’s a mistaken assumption that everyone has access to democracy.

Across Europe, authoritarian leaders continue to target and scapegoat LGBTI individuals, bringing increased polarisation of public discourse and violence in the streets. LGBTI activists counteract by defending democratic values with unwavering determination. But this defence is not merely a reaction; it is part of their DNA.

During a recent panel organised by the European Movement at their Democracy Alive conference, our Executive Director, Evelyne Paradis highlighted that although we may assume that everyone has equal access to democracy, this is not the reality, and reflected on why marginalised groups need democracies and why democracies find some of their greatest champions among LGBTI activists. 

Today’s blog is a snapshot of the important message Evelyne was at the conference to deliver.

“People who have remained marginalised want to have the same rights, and it is crucial to address their aspirations for equality. Marginalised groups require a system that not only permits but actively enables the protection of their basic rights. While democracy may not be flawless, marginalised communities, including LGBTI people, rely on its rules and practices; they depend on them to access their fundamental rights.

This is one of the key reasons why LGBTI activists find themselves at the forefront of defending freedom of assembly, association, expression, and media freedom. These freedoms are not only rights that LGBTI individuals, like everyone else, are entitled to, they are also essential to enabling communities and individuals to advance equality. It is thanks to these rights that LGBTI communities can organise and march in public spaces in safety, can freely inform and contribute to public discussions, and so on.

Another reason the defence of democracy matters so much for LGBTI people is that attacks on democracy are coming at a very real cost to them. The rise of authoritarian regimes across Europe comes hand-in-hand with scapegoating by populist far-right leaders of LGBTI individuals, migrants, and other vulnerable groups as part of their divisive tactics for political gain. This has concrete and dire consequences in people’s lives, as last year we witnessed the deadliest rise in anti-LGBTI violence in over a decade.

But it’s not just about pointing fingers at far-right parties and authoritarian leaders. We must look at ourselves in the mirror and accept our democracies are not perfect, also in places where things seem to be fine.

While democracy may be one of the most promising systems for ensuring basic protections, not everyone enjoys equal access to them and many are left behind. At its core, democracy is made of trust. To earn and have trust, people need to feel listened to, heard and included. At the moment, there’s a high risk of many disengaging and becoming more disillusioned by democracy simply because they do not find themselves in it.

This is why it is crucial to listen to LGBTI people and other marginalised groups when they demand equality. Firstly, democracy is about protecting everyone’s rights. By paying attention to their needs, we honour that principle. Secondly, LGBTI activists are some of the fiercest defenders of democracy. Their commitment contributes to ensuring that our democracies are alive and flourishing. By addressing their demands, we can build a more inclusive democracy while making sure that its champions remain strong.”

For decades, men who have sex with men 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. As European Public Health Week comes to an end, let’s take a closer look at the countries paving the way.

Since the early 80s, certain groups with higher rates of HIV were prohibited from donating blood, including gay and bi men, and trans people in some cases. These measures, intended to prevent contagion, contributed to the stigma in these communities. Today, with advancements in testing and a better understanding of blood-transmitted viruses, blood banks are now capable of ensuring safer donations. It is also time to acknowledge that risk behaviours, not sexual orientation or gender identity, should determine who is eligible to donate blood.

European Public Health Week (EUPHW) seeks to raise awareness about public health and foster collaboration within the European public health community. Since 2019, this annual initiative keeps on growing. This year, from 22 to 26 May, it has focused on various themes, including diversity in health, access to care, and mental health care for all.

LGBTI people continue to face discrimination in healthcare and encounter numerous barriers to accessing proper care. That is why it remains crucial for more countries to revoke blanket bans or long waiting periods for blood donations, so men who have sex with men (MSM) and trans people are treated equally in health spaces.

Instead of blanket bans or long deferral periods, a non-discriminatory approach to blood donations would base fitness to donate on the same set of risk assessment criteria for all potential applicants, with deferral decisions based on risk behaviours without focus on sexual orientation and/or gender identity.

The trend-setters

In 2022, 11 countries lifted bans or reduced deferral periods for blood donations from MSM (and trans people in some cases), and there was no regression in this trend. Bans were lifted in France, Greece, Ireland, Lithuania, Slovenia, Austria, and Armenia. In total, 18 European countries have ceased discriminating against MSM and trans people in blood donation.

Other countries are also following these steps towards equality. Germany recently passed a law banning discrimination in blood donations, although guidelines are yet to be published and implemented. Belgium and Estonia have shortened their deferral periods as well. In Belgium, the Ministry of Health introduced a four-month deferral period in May 2022 after the High Council of Health (CSS) concluded that the 12-month abstinence requirement for MSM who want to donate blood was no longer justifiable. Similarly, Estonia reduced the deferral period from 12 to four months. Furthermore, the Chancellor of Justice later stated that any such blanket restriction is unreasonable and discriminatory.

By focusing on risk behaviours rather than sexual orientation or gender identity, men who have sex with men and trans people are one step closer to breaking free from discrimination and stigma. At ILGA-Europe we will continue to work for a world where every LGBTI person is equal and can fully enjoy their human rights.

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

Half-way through, the evaluation of LGBTI organisations is positive, but also pointing clearly to where more is needed to ensure the implementation of the strategy in all areas of EU competence and to fully live up to the commitments the EC proudly adopted with the strategy. 

With this briefing, ILGA-Europe wants to highlight five key aspects of our evaluation of the first two years of implementation and set out recommendations to ensure strong implementation of the full strategy by 2024.

Disaggregated data, which can look deeply into the lived experiences of marginalised people, is a key demand of LGBTI and other human rights groups. With this in mind, over the last year ILGA-Europe have been partnering with a variety of NGOs in the region to analyse the FRA 2019 LGBTI Survey II data and pull out experiences of those experiencing intersectional marginalisation. This work is based on analysis co-commissioned by ILGA-Europe and TGEU.

This briefing on older people summarises the findings of data analysis disaggregating the responses of older LGBTI people from the responses provided by all LGBTI respondents to the 2019 FRA LGBTI Survey II, in order to show the differences in their lived experiences. In order to make sure that the point of view of older LGBTI people was represented in full, this document is the result of a collaboration between ILGA-Europe ad AGE Platform Europe, both contributing in the data analysis and drafting of the briefing.

In this episode of The Frontline, specially released on Trans Day of Visibility, we’re looking at trans inclusion in the women’s movement. All too often we hear about exclusionary forces, or the voices of forces who seek to exclude trans women from the women’s movement, but does this adequately represent the truth?

We ask what it means for feminism to be inclusive in practical terms and how does inclusiveness impact the work? We explore how inclusionary women’s rights organisations and trans activists are responding to the efforts of exclusionary actors to narrow the frame for feminism, and the lessons learned so far.

With us to investigate exclusionary narrative and look at it from the more prevalent inclusionary perspective, are Caroline Hickson, Regional Director of International Planned Parenthood Federation European Network; Tanya von Knorring, Executive Director of  Transfeminiinit, Finland and Federal Vice Chair of National LGBTI Finland; and Marion Böker from the German NGO, Deutsche Frauenring, who is also on the board of the International Alliance of Women and the European Women’s Lobby.

The most striking finding of ILGA-Europe’s Annual Review 2023 is a stark rise in the ferocity of anti-LGBTI hate and violence reported in Europe and Central Asia. But alongside this worrying trend, there are positive developments in areas such as legal gender recognition, public support, intersex human rights and civil society. Here are the key highlights.

At ILGA-Europe we’ve just published our Annual Review, showcasing the main developments and trends in the human rights Situation for LGBTI people in Europe and Central Asia. Disturbingly, the most striking finding this year is the levels of hate reported in the region. 12 years into this yearly reporting, the present edition finds that anti-LGBTI violence in 2022 was more targeted and extreme than ever in the history of our reporting.

Our Annual Review aims to paint a clear picture of the reality from the ground for our communities. It documents individual cases and events, as well as legislative, social and political advancements and regressions, and new available data. All reporting is based on the work of LGBTI activists in each country featured in these pages, as well as on our own work.

While the review points to the devastating consequences of the instrumentalisation of LGBTI people, mostly for political gain, there have been other developments in the direction of human rights and protection of LGBTI people.

We have not seen this severity of the violence before

For years, ILGA-Europe has been documenting the rise in hate while activists across the region have shown how anti-LGBTI speech, both online and by political and religious leaders, translates into violence harming people.

This phenomenon is across the board in this year’s Annual Review. For example, in France, the Ministry of Interior reported a 28% rise in hate crimes between 2020 and 2021. In Switzerland, LGBTI organisations reported a 50% increase between 2020 and 2021. Spain reported a 68% increase in 2021, while in England and Wales transphobic incidents rose by 56%.

There are also more reports than ever before of LGBTI people taking their lives, a clear sign how discrimination, hate speech and harassment are impacting mental health. In Italy, three trans women took their lives. Two of them were teenagers, the third woman was a teacher, who was suspended from school because she had socially transitioned. In Armenia, a young gay couple committed suicide after suffering harassment when a photo of them kissing went viral. These are just a few examples.

Sexual education is increasingly compromised

Education is a growing battleground in the resistance to LGBTI people and rights. In Hungary, as result of law banning LGBT content, teachers reported a fear of bringing sexual orientation, gender identity and other topics to the classrooms. In the Netherlands, 36 orthodox schools require anti-LGBTI declarations from pupils and parents, and the new Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni has publicly advocated for a ban on sex education in schools and the exclusion of LGBT people in children’s books.

Russia expanded its ‘propaganda law’ to prohibit positive and neutral information about LGBT people and “gender reassignment” to minors and adults. There was an alarming number of ‘propaganda’ charges or threats in educational establishments in the country. All in all, progression on sexual education is being challenged.

Public support for LGBTI people is growing

In parallel, the report finds growing support among societies for LGBTI people, also in countries where we might not expect it. For example, most Hungarians don’t consider ‘homosexual propaganda’ an important issue. In Poland, two thirds of the population support marriage equality and 60% support the abolition of anti-LGBT resolutions in the country.

What’s more, many politicians across Europe have shown their support throughout 2022. Many reacted with horror to the killings in Oslo and Bratislava and the European Parliament has publicly condemned the violations of LGBTI rights. We need more governments standing strong against hate in the media and online and more progress in advancing laws against hate crimes that protect LGBTI people.

There are more legal gender recognition laws that include self-determination

In the face of enormous backlash on trans people, and a number of forces trying to stop legal gender recognition (LGR), some countries made progress in 2022 and others showed a will to ensure a model of LGR based on self-determination.

Scotland, Finland and Spain were the best examples; by adopting LGR laws that include self-determination, these countries are showing a clear way forward for other governments.

Same-sex partnership is back on the agenda

After stagnating for a number of years, same-sex partnership recognition is on the rise again. Andorra adopted legislation to ensure heterosexual marriage and the recognition of same-sex civil partnerships guarantee the same set of rights. In Latvia, following a Supreme court decision ruling that same-sex couples should be given civil status, same-sex couples were recognised in court cases. Slovenia and Switzerland adopted marriage equality, including positive changes regarding adoption rights. Other countries took steps forward the adoption of laws that recognise same-sex partnerships.

While intersex human rights are rightfully taking a space in the agenda

There is also a growing awareness of intersex human rights across Europe. While Greece adopted a ban on non-vital medical interventions on children, the European Commission conducted surveys and interviews for the first EU study on the lives of intersex people and their parents (expected to be published this summer). The Council of Europe is preparing a Recommendation on intersex human rights while the Chair of European Commission against Racism and Intolerance and PACE General Rapporteur for the rights of LGBTI people shared supportive statements.

Behind every positive development, there are LGBTI activists doing hard work

LGBTI organisations and activists across our region are key to all the advances on LGBTI people’s rights and the support to their communities during 2022.

Despite difficult circumstances, more and more Prides are being organised, support for the most vulnerable in the community is provided and work with institutions and policy makers continues advancing LGBTI people rights.

More and more organisations report covering for gaps in service provision, and providing services where the community does not feel safe to access mainstreaming services, for example when it comes to shelter.

The most remarkable support was that of the LGBTI community in Ukraine through LGBTI organisations, as well as the support by activists across Europe for Ukrainian LGBTI refugees.

LGBTI activists are the central players in countries where progress has been made, as we’ve seen in Spain and Finland, where huge effort went into successfully keeping self-determined legal gender recognition on the right political track, despite fierce opposition.

The Annual Review of the Human Rights Situation of LGBTI People in Europe and Central Asia is published every February, as part of our Rainbow Europe package. We thank all those across 54 countries who worked with us to make sure our reporting was accurate.

Find out what’s been happening in your country here.

On 24 February 2022, Vladimir Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, leading to the largest armed conflict in Europe since the Second World War. For the last twelve months, civil society organisations across Europe, including ILGA-Europe, have had to run the extra mile to fill in the gaps, but sustainable responses remain a crucial challenge. Here’s the five main areas in which we’ve been working over the past year.

Exactly a year ago at ILGA-Europe we anticipated that the Russian invasion of Ukraine would lead to a war that would last longer than what was generally expected, and that it would have a deep and long-lasting impact on LGBTI people both in Ukraine and Russia, and beyond. We defined our support of those impacted by the invasion, and those helping them, as a marathon, not a sprint.

In the weeks following the February 24 invasion, several civil society organisations in Ukraine, neighbouring countries and beyond rolled up their sleeves to help LGBTI people who were either leaving and staying in the country. LGBTI activists and organisations in Ukraine, for whom providing humanitarian aid is not their main job, took on the mission of setting up shelters or getting medicines to those who needed them, getting people to borders or helping those who had difficulties leaving to safety, while organisations in host countries took on the task of welcoming and helping LGBTI refugees navigate the new circumstances they found themselves in.

At ILGA-Europe we asked ourselves two questions. How do we quickly react and give immediate and targeted help the LGBTI organisations and people who are providing humanitarian responses? And how could we provide that help on a more sustainable, longer-term level?

There have been and continue to be no simple solutions. Supporting the work is complex, dynamic and constantly evolving, but we have the resources and capacity to meaningfully provide targeted support, and we’ve known from the start that needing to be adaptable had to be part of our approach.

We certainly don’t want to write a version of this blog in a year’s time, but we must be prepared for the consequences of a war that has no clear end. This is how ILGA-Europe have been working over the past 12 months to support the movement as tries to support those affected by the war in Ukraine.  

Supporting humanitarian work through funding 

It is not breaking news that organisations in Ukraine need economic support. We have shifted a major proportion of our re-granting funds to give emergency help to local groups providing safety, food and shelter for LGBTI people. We are also supporting organisations outside Ukraine who are working with refugees and supply chains. During the last year we have issued 13 grants to Ukrainian groups with the total budget of €192,134, and six grants to other organisations in neighboring countries to support refugees from Ukraine, with a total budget of €112,935.

We also continue to raise awareness of the needs of LGBTI people among funders so they can mobilise resources.

Putting LGBTI needs on the agenda

LGBTI people have specific needs, however they are frequently overlooked by humanitarian and international institutions. Before the war, ILGA-Europe had very few links with the larger humanitarian sector, which is not an easy area to navigate. We strove to connect, and establish further connections among UN and EU institutions as well as national governments for their aid strategies to become fully inclusive, succeeding in putting the issue of specific LGBTI needs on the agenda. Through regular meetings with these institutions, we’ve raised awareness about the specific needs of LGBTI people affected the war and pointed to gaps in humanitarian interventions. Particularly, we are working on needs assessments to advocate funders and humanitarian actors. Through our ongoing engagement with humanitarian actors, we are identifying and pursuing concrete opportunities to connect them with LGBTI organisations serving their communities.

Coordinating medicine delivery

Trans and intersex people in Ukraine continue to experience difficulties accessing the medications they need. There is a gap between what humanitarian aids are providing and what trans and intersex people need. Civil society is left to fill in this gap. For example, at ILGA-Europe we have been, together with other LGBTI organisations, directly coordinating deliveries of hormones. While we will continue to do so for the time being, this remains an emergency solution that should be taken on by institutions in a more sustainable way.

Fostering a coordinate response from the movement

If you read our Annual Review 2023, you will see how many local LGBTI organisations stepped in to help refugees arriving to their countries. Outside Europe, LGBTI organisations also chipped in immediately to help in any way they could, including by sharing information about needs, mobilising funding and helping with direct support to groups on the ground. To be of most help we needed to be coordinated in our response, which would also allow us to be aware of the gaps of our collective support, we worked and continue to work to connect the many LGBTI organisations at regional and international levels who were stepping up to the plate, so they can complement each other and build from our respective strengths.

Helping LGBTI people leaving Ukraine understand their rights in the EU

When people fleeing Ukraine arrive in any EU country, they have a set of rights under the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive, such as family reunification and access to healthcare. We have briefed the limits of this directive to the European Commission and EU countries, while working to ensure that these rights are available for LGBTI people arriving to the EU from Ukraine.

How we Are continuing

A year on, while we continue to support organisations who had to shift their activities towards humanitarian work as the war goes on, we also step up our support for LGBTI activists engaged in political advocacy, seizing the moment of potential EU memberships to push for LGBTI equality and freedom in Ukraine.

As a well-resourced organisation, we will continue to respond to immediate emergencies while continuing to do the deeper, more sustainable work through new programmatic activities and multi-year grant-making that we know will have an impact. We recognise more and more that it is vital to have groups such as ILGA-Europe who are strategically there for the long term

In the meantime, we take this moment to recognise the suffering of all those caught up in this war, and we pay tribute to the work of activists and organisations in Ukraine, in unimaginable circumstances, to provide for the people in their communities.

12 years into annually reporting on the human rights situation of LGBTI people, Europe’s leading LGBTI equality organisation finds that pervasive hate speech across the region has led to life or death consequences.

Launched today in Brussels, ILGA-Europe’s Annual Review of the Human Rights Situation of LGBTI People in Europe and Central Asia finds that 2022 was the most violent year for LGBTI people across the region in the past decade, both through planned, ferocious attacks and through suicides in the wake of rising and widespread hate speech from politicians, religious leaders, right-wing organisations and media pundits.

This is the 12th edition of ILGA-Europe’s report, which has charted the growing phenomenon of anti-LGBTI speech, as antipathy for LGBTI people has been driven and then exploited for political gain. It finds that as a result, attacks on LGBTI people with a conscious and deliberate will to kill and injure have increased to unprecedented levels, including two terror attacks outside LGBTI bars in Norway and Slovakia, which combined killed four people and maimed 22. There are reports of more murders and many suicides of LGBTI people across Europe, and not only in countries that are seen to be more regressive.

According to ILGA-Europe’s Executive Director, Evelyne Paradis: “At ILGA-Europe, we have been saying for years now that hate speech in all its forms translates into actual physical violence. This year, we have seen that violence become increasingly planned and deadly, leaving LGBTI people feeling unsafe in countries across Europe. We have seen proof that anti-LGBTI hate speech is not just the words of marginal leaders or would-be autocrats, but a real problem with dire consequences for people and communities. This phenomenon is not only in countries where hate speech is rife, but also in countries where it is widely believed that LGBTI people are progressively accepted.”

The report finds that while hate speech and its consequences have reached critical levels, national and local courts are reacting and prosecutions are on the rise in several countries. But according to Paradis, reaction is not enough.

“While we are getting better at dealing with outcomes, the focus has to be on stopping hate speech in all its forms. Across Europe, many politicians have reacted with horror to the killings of LGBTI people this year, and while clear expressions of solidarity are always needed, it does not address the foundation of the problem, which is the proliferation of using hatred against LGBTI people for political gain. Our leaders need to find ways to proactively fight the rise of hate speech, rather than finding themselves in the position of reacting to its consequences.”

It is not all bad news. There has been much progress reported in several countries, with the Review consistently finding that it is activists and their communities who are driving positive social change and managing to push legal protection forward, despite organised opposition.

According to Katrin Hugendubel, Advocacy Director with ILGA-Europe: “LGBTI activists are the central players in countries where progress has been made, as we’ve seen in Spain and Finland, where huge effort went into successfully keeping self-determined legal gender recognition on the right political track, despite fierce opposition. This is true of every issue that affects LGBTI communities across the region, showing that LGBTI people and organisations remain empowered and continue to make change happen.”

The 12th ILGA-Europe Annual Review is available here, alongside all the previous Annual Reports, charting the phenomenon of rising anti-LGBTI hate speech in Europe and Central Asia, and its consequences.

According to Paradis: “These successive reports tell a story of cause and effect that is not going to go away or diminish until politicians and policy makers understand that they have to get ahead of the problem. In the current climate, progressive leaders must find effective ways to tackle hate speech in all its forms, instead of finding themselves on the back foot, expressing sympathy for the families of the needlessly murdered, or those who have taken their own lives, while hatred continues to be fostered and exploited.”

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

Watch the video!

In 2022, with the dawn of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world changed forever. Watch our seven-minute video to see how it all led to new developments for LGBTI communities across the year in the regions ILGA-Europe works with and for.

Be part of the change!

Donate whatever you can to ILGA-Europe now, so we can continue support the activism that’s so desperately needed at this time, to secure and fight against a the backlash on LGBTI rights in Europe and Central Asia!

The big story at the beginning of the World Cup 2022 centred on FIFA banning all players on European teams from wearing the ‘One Love’ armband during matches, highlighting the human rights situation for LGBTI people in Qatar.

But what happens when diverging opinions on LGBTI issues become the leading stories surrounding a major sporting event like the World Cup? Do these stories serve the LGBTI communities in countries where people are at risk? Do they serve the greater goals of the LGBTI movement for equality? Or is the focus on LGBTI people and LGBTI issues not creating a Rainbow Divide, in which the human rights of one group are separated from the human rights of all? 

This episode of The Frontline will explore the complexities around singling out of LGBTI rights at the Qatar World Cup, when so many other human rights abuses are taking place in the country, if it further fuelled an ‘us and them’ human rights narrative, and what responsibility lies with the media in the reporting of this and other LGBTI centred stories.

Our guests are Ryan Heath, Editorial Director with Politico; Gurchaten Sandhu, Director of Programmes at ILGA World, and the Executive Director of ILGA-Europe, Evelyne Paradis.

Listen to the episode below or follow this link to find it on your favourite podcast platform.

Disaggregated data, which can look deeply into the lived experiences of marginalised people, is a key demand of LGBTI and other human rights groups. With this in mind, over the last year ILGA-Europe have been partnering with a variety of NGOs in the region to analyse the FRA 2019 LGBTI Survey II data and pull out experiences of those experiencing intersectional marginalisation. This work is based on analysis co-commissioned by ILGA-Europe and TGEU.

This, our briefing on LGBTI Youth, in which we created sub-populations of respondents aged 15-24, 15-17 and 18-24, and compared them with all respondents to the survey, was carried out alongside the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer & Intersex Youth and Student Organisation (IGLYO). In coming months, watch this space for further in-depth briefings on intersex people, religious and ethnic minorities, older LGBTI people, trans people, and others.

In this two-part episode of The Frontline podcast, presented by Belinda Dear, we’re looking at the new wave of accession to the European Union and what it will mean for LGBTI people.

With the recent news that Ukraine and Moldova are now candidates to the EU, the topic of EU accession is on the radar again, while Western Balkan countries such as Serbia, North Macedonia and Montenegro have been going through the process for some years now, and Turkey not acceded since its application in 1987.

With the current state of LGBTI rights in Central Europe, highlighted most recently by the Serbian government’s anti-democratic instrumentalising of LGBTI people in an effort to try to stop EuroPride in Belgrade, how does this kind of backsliding play into the accession process? And what about countries like Ukraine, where LGBTI rights have barely been on the governmental agenda? What are the opportunities to be gained by candidacy for joining the EU?

To discuss these questions and more, we’re joined by former member of European Parliament, Marije Cornelissen, who has worked extensively on the accession process, Lenny Emson from Kyiv Pride in Ukraine, Anastasia Danilova from GENDERDOC-M in Moldova, and Danijel Kalezić, who worked for years as the Executive Director of Queer Montenegro, but has now become the Co-director of ERA, the LGBTI Equal Rights Association for the Western Balkans and Turkey . We’re also joined by our Advocacy Director, Katrin Hugendubel to talk about ILGA-Europe’s deep and long-term experience of working on accession countries, which has been happening for 25 years now.

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

Disaggregated data, which can look deeply into the lived experiences of marginalised people, is a key demand of LGBTI and other human rights groups. With this in mind, over the last year ILGA-Europe have been partnering with a variety of NGOs in the region to analyse the FRA 2019 LGBTI Survey II data and pull out experiences of those experiencing intersectional marginalisation. This work is based on analysis co-commissioned by ILGA-Europe and TGEU.

Over the coming months, watch this space for in-depth briefings on youth, intersex people, religious and ethnic minorities, older LGBTI people, trans people, and others.

This, our briefing on Lesbians was carried out alongside the EuroCentralAsian Lesbian Community EL*C.

We’re looking at this through the lens of one very successful partnership and campaign, between Mermaids, a UK organisation helping trans, nonbinary and gender diverse children, young people and their families, and the coffee giant, Starbucks.

With us to talk about the #WhatsYourName campaign, and what it means in terms of opportunities for partnerships between LGBTI organisations and businesses, is Susie Green, the CEO of Mermaids.  

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

• Find out more about to work of Mermaids here. 
• See the #WhatsYourName campaign here.  

In this, the second episode of our new mini-series exploring the opportunities and challenges that come with businesses supporting LGBTI equality, we’re taking a closer look at how business can support LGBTI civil society.

With us to talk about how to build partnerships with business in contexts and countries requiring different responses, from advocacy to campaigns, are Nancy Kelley, the Chief Executive of Stonewall, which has long experience working with private business both in the UK and internationally and Noah Kraljevi?, from the ILGA-Europe member organisation, Expanse of Gender and Media Culture ‘Common Zone’, who has led on LGBTI inclusion in the workplace in Croatia and joins us to talk about engagement with the private sector in the country.   

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

Over the past few years, more and more companies have been engaging with LGBTI rights and equality, from putting inclusive employment policies in place, to celebrating Pride in their marketing campaigns, to speaking out in favour of laws that would support LGBTI equality. This provides some great opportunities for activist organisations, but it’s not all plain sailing.  

In this episode of The Frontline, we look at the rising opportunities and challenges for LGBTI organisations engaging with the private sector. At ILGA-Europe we’ve experienced these first-hand, as businesses have reached out to support our work with and on behalf of our member organisations, and with us to discuss these developments from the ILGA-Europe perspective is our Executive Director, Evelyne Paradis.

We’re also joined by Jens Schadendorf, independent LGBTI researcher at the chair of business ethics at the Technical University of Munich, and author of the recent book, Gayme Changer: How the LGBT+ Community and their Allies are Changing the Global Economy , which provides and overview of the business arena engaging with LGBTI rights and inclusion, and the impact of that, both on communities and countries.

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

With the war in Ukraine and the Russian threat to democracy it has intensified, now more than ever we need to be working together across many alliances to ensure that equality and freedom are at the cornerstones of European society.

Our new mini-series was recorded before the war began, but with it’s deep dive into how actors in the private sector, from big corporates to small and medium businesses, can work with LGBTI organisations to shape a better future for us all, we think it is more important than ever to have this discussion.

From making the business case for engagement, to exploring the different ways businesses can work with LGBTI organisations, to a case study in how the coffee giant Starbucks successfully worked with a trans youth organisation to help shift attitudes, this is a series with learnings for both businesses who want to help shape a better world, and LGBTI organisations seeking to work with them.

Listen to our introduction to the series below or click here to listen and subscribe to The Frontline on your favourite podcast platform!