Stonewall has released a statement about the report
BY KRYSTA MCKENZIE, IMAGE BY UNSPLASH
Last week, the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) released this years report on where countries in Europe stand in regards to their respect of LGBTQIA rights. The criteria used for this ranking is divided between seven categories: equality & non-discrimination, the rights of LGBTQIA families, laws about hate speech and hate crime, legal gender recognition, intersex bodily integrity, civil society space and asylum. This report has been published annually by ILGA-Europe since 2009 to observe the changing legal situations for LGBTQIA communities across the continent.
Between 2011 and 2015, the UK occupied the top spot on the Rainbow Europe Map, but today the country sits at number 17 on the list — falling three places since last year. This comes to no surprise considering that the anti-trans rhetoric in this country seems to be getting louder and louder every day, and is constantly threatening the stability of trans rights.
Some of the areas where IGLA saw the UK falling short included:
- Inadequate policies and action to tackle hate crime
- Gender recognition laws that are invasive and restrictive
- A lack of recognition and protection for intersex people
Where other countries are updating and reforming their laws to demonstrate a growing understanding of the LGBTQIA community, the UK has not progressed.
As good at is to see positive legislation in other countries, our governement should take this as a wake-up call to move forward on building a better quality of life for queer people in the UK. Banning conversion therapy, reforming the Gender Recognition Act and removing the block on Scotland’s Gender Recognition Reform Bill must be prioritised in the coming years.
View the full Rainbow Europe Map below…
Robbie de Santos, director of communications and external affairs (he/him) at Stonewall said:
“The UK Government could once lay claim to having world-class laws for LGBTQ+ people — but no more. This year’s report shows that our European neighbours continue to surge ahead while the UK stagnates.
The next government has the potential to get the UK back on track. Our party leaders must seize the opportunity to unlock the potential of all LGBTQ+ people across the UK. But for now, it’s vital that the UK Government delivers on its promise to ban conversion practices, and removes its block on the Scottish Gender Recognition Reform Bill, to ensure it is at least ending the stagnation.”
Visit rainbow-europe.org for a more detailed look at the data.
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