How has the situation of the LGBTIQ+ community changed since last year? Has there been any significant change in Europe? The truth is that progress is few, but there is good news. As we explained in 2020, the policies of some heavyweight countries in the EU, such as the United Kingdom, left much to be desired and retracted their advances in equal rights.
this 2022, The 2022 Rainbow Europe Map , carried out by the NGO ILGA-Europe, notes that there are still significant gaps in terms of fundamental protection against discrimination and violence in almost half of the countries. Currently, 20 countries out of 49 still have no protection against hate crimes based on sexual orientation , while 28 countries have no protection against violence based on gender identity.
For its part, the United Kingdom continues to fall in the ranking, falling from 10 to 14. The reason? This year it became clear that the equality body is not, as established in its mandate, effectively protecting citizens for reasons of sexual orientation and gender identity. "This comes at a time of a widespread anti-trans sentiment in politics and the media , while the British government is not advancing on long-promised reforms on gender recognition and a ban on so-called "conversion therapy,"" the ILGA-Europe analysis explains.
Marked in red (they are the ones that score the least in social rights, and on the contrary, the green ones are the ones that score the most) are Bulgaria, Romania Y Poland , this last. "Romania is losing points due to authorities obstructing freedom of assembly by banning and punishing Pride events. Meanwhile, Hungary dropped three places, mainly because its parliament adopted a series of amendments that directly discriminate against people. LGBTI, including a ban on "representing and promoting gender identity other than sex at birth, sex change, and homosexuality" for people under the age of 18," the study read.
THE GOOD NEWS
Malta leads again by sixth consecutive year the annual list of the rights of the LGBTI+ collective in European countries. Since 2016, the index that measures the situation of the LGBTI+ community in Europe, places in the number one spot on the list the country for its good policies, laws and practices. An example of this are its celebrations in the coming months: the Pride Week Malta 2022 , which will take place between September 2 and 11, as well as the Euro Pride Valletta 2023 , which will be held from September 7 to 17. Without a doubt, two very special events that will put Malta on the radar of any LGBTI+ traveller.
The analysis also highlights the case of Denmark, which has jumped seven places to second in the 2022 ranking. Changes in its current legislation are the reason for this. "Its equal treatment law covers health, education, employment, goods and services, and the penal code to include sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual characteristics as aggravating factors in hate crimes."
In addition, ILGA-Europe highlights other countries such as Iceland , which received points for its legislative recognition of trans parenting; Germany, which introduced a ban on intersex genital mutilation, and France which banned so-called "conversion therapy" based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
On the other hand, and after years of stagnation, there is a positive legislative movement in Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Serbia, Slovakia Y Slovenia , “which counteracts the narrative that there is an east/west divide on LGBTI rights in Europe”.
Spain , meanwhile, lost one point compared to last year, moving from 10th to 11th place in the ranking behind Portugal. The pending tasks of our country are to improve in legal terms and also in gender recognition.
The map to know the situation of the LGBTIQ+ community in Europe this 2022.