ILGA-Europe

Last updated
ILGA-Europe
Formation1996
Purpose lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex (LGBTI) rights
Headquarters Brussels, Belgium
Region served
47 countries in the Council of Europe; Belarus, Kosovo & Central Asia
Membership
500+ member organisations [1]
Executive Director
Evelyne Paradis
Main organ
ILGA
Staff
24
Website ilga-europe.org

ILGA-Europe is the European region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association. It is an advocacy group promoting the interests of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex (LGBTI) people, at the European level. Its membership comprises more than 500 organisations from throughout Europe and Central Asia. The association enjoys consultative status at the United Nations Economic and Social Council [2] and participatory status at the Council of Europe. [3]

Contents

History

ILGA-Europe was founded in 1996, when its parent organisation, the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association, established separate regions. [1] It took over responsibility for supporting the development of the LGBT movement in Europe including Transgender Europe, Inter-LGBT, and for relationships with the European Union, Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. [1]

Initially ILGA-Europe worked entirely on the basis of volunteer resources. However, in 2001, its potential contribution to the European Union's anti-discrimination policies (established under Article 13 of the Treaty of Amsterdam) was recognised through the provision of core funding, currently through the PROGRESS Programme. [4] This enabled ILGA-Europe to set up an office in Brussels, to recruit permanent staff, and to conduct an extensive programme of work in relation to sexual orientation discrimination within the EU Member States and the accession countries. [4] Financial support from the Sigrid Rausing Trust, the Open Society Institute, Freedom House, the US State Department and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science of the Netherlands allows ILGA-Europe to extend its work in areas not covered by EU funding, including Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and on transgender issues. [4]

ILGA-Europe has hosted its annual conference at the end of October, since 2000, where member organisations elect the executive board and decide on the next year's working priorities. [5]

Current work

Rainbow Europe Map, 2014 Rainbow Europe Map 2014.svg
Rainbow Europe Map, 2014
Rainbow Europe 2016-2017 Rainbow Europe 2016-2017 May.png
Rainbow Europe 2016–2017

ILGA-Europe works to promote equality and non-discrimination for LGBTI people in asylum, education, employment, family law, freedom of assembly, hate crime, hate speech and health; and works worldwide to protect human rights defenders, trans people and intersex people. [6] The Association provides funding and training for its 500 member organisations, "to maximise efficiency and the use of resources by LGBTI organisations in working towards achievement of their goals; to maximise the impact of advocacy work at the European level; to ensure sustainability of the LGBTI movement in Europe." [7]

ILGA-Europe works with EU Institutions, the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe to promote equality by lobbying and advocacy, including supporting the adoption of the proposed EU Anti-Discrimination Directive, that would ban discrimination on the grounds of age, disability, religion or belief and sexual orientation in all areas of EU competence. [8] It also uses strategic litigation at the European Court of Human Rights and the European Court of Justice to end discrimination, by identifying gaps in protections, encouraging organisations and individuals to develop court cases, and support such cases with legal resources and amicus curiae briefs. [9]

For the 2014 European Parliament election, ILGA-Europe promoted its Come Out 2014 European Election Pledge to candidate MEPs, which focused on priority LGBTI issues for the 2014–2019 Parliament: an EU roadmap on LGBTI equality; EU human rights enforcement; completing the EU Anti-Discrimination directive; combating homophobic and transphobic violence; an inclusive definition of 'family'; trans rights and depatholigisation; action against school bullying; health discrimination and inequalities; LGBTI asylum seekers; and making the EU champion LGBTI rights worldwide. [10] 187 elected MEPs (25 percent) signed the pledge, including 83 members of the PES, 14 ALDE members and 14 from the EPP. [11]

Today ILGA-Europe has more than 20 staff who work in four areas: Advocacy, Communications, Finance and Administration, and Programmes. All are based at the organisation's office in the European Quarter in Brussels.

Rainbow Europe

Each May, ILGA-Europe releases its Rainbow Europe review, to mark the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. It reviews the human rights situation and assesses what life is like for LGBTI people in every European country, covering discrimination, family recognition, hate speech/crimes, gender recognition, freedom of assembly, association and express, and asylum laws. Since 2016 Malta has topped the rankings; in 2021 it was rated to have 94% progress toward respect of human rights and full equality, and in 2023 sits 13% ahead of Belgium and the Denmark in joint second place. In 2023 Azerbaijan was ranked as the worst for LGBTI equality, scoring just 2%, closely followed by Russia, Armenia and Turkey. The biggest increase since the 2013 review, was that of Malta - increasing by 54%, followed by Luxembourg with a 40% gain. [12] A summary of all Rainbow Europe scores since 2013 (when scores were standardised as a %) are given in the table below, as well as a comparison with the scores as released in 2013 and 2023. [13] The most significant deterioration in LGBTI rights is that of the UK, that has decreased 33% from a peak of 86% in 2015. [12] [14]

CountryOverall by YearChange from 2013 to current score (2023) [15] [16] Change from previous peak year(s) to current score (2023)Rankings
2013 [17] 2014 [16] 2015 [18] 2016 [19] 2017 [20] 2018 [21] 2019 [22] 2020 [23] 2021 [24] 2022 [25] 2023 [15] Peak Year(s)Change from PeakCurrentHighestLowest
Flag of Albania.svg Albania 38%38%42%34%33%33%31%31%33%32%35%-3%2015-7%261628
Flag of Andorra.svg Andorra 21%21%31%32%35%35%28%35%35%32%37%16%20230%242234
Flag of Armenia.svg Armenia 8%9%9%7%7%7%7%8%8%8%8%0%2014-15-1%464648
Flag of Austria.svg Austria 43%52%52%64%56%56%50%50%50%48%49%6%2016-15%181218
Flag of Azerbaijan.svg Azerbaijan 8%7%5%5%5%5%3%2%2%2%2%-6%2013-6%494749
Flag of Belarus.svg Belarus 14%14%14%13%13%13%13%13%12%12%12%-2%2013-15-2%453945
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgium 67%78%83%82%72%79%73%73%74%72%76%9%2015-7%224
Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg Bosnia and Herzegovina 20%20%29%39%31%31%31%37%40%38%40%20%2021, 20230%222135
Flag of Bulgaria.svg Bulgaria 18%30%27%24%23%24%13%20%20%18%20%2%2014-10%382541
Flag of Croatia.svg Croatia 48%56%71%67%62%51%47%46%46%45%49%1%2015-22%18519
Flag of Cyprus.svg Cyprus 20%20%18%32%29%29%23%31%31%31%31%11%2016-1%292637
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Czech Republic 35%35%35%32%29%29%26%26%26%26%26%-9%2013-15-9%331833
Flag of Denmark.svg Denmark 57%60%68%71%68%68%68%68%64%74%76%19%20230%2210
Flag of Estonia.svg Estonia 29%35%34%36%33%39%35%38%38%36%36%7%2018-3%251925
Flag of Finland.svg Finland 47%45%62%75%68%73%69%66%65%60%70%23%2016-5%6417
Flag of France.svg France 64%64%65%67%71%73%63%56%57%64%63%-1%2018-10%10413
Flag of Georgia.svg Georgia 21%26%36%30%26%26%30%30%27%25%25%4%2015-11%342234
Flag of Germany.svg Germany 54%56%56%55%54%59%47%51%52%53%55%1%2018-4%151216
Flag of Greece.svg Greece 28%31%39%58%47%52%49%48%47%52%57%29%2016-1%131324
Flag of Hungary.svg Hungary 55%54%50%51%45%47%41%33%33%30%30%-25%2013-25%301130
Flag of Iceland.svg Iceland 56%64%63%59%47%47%47%54%54%63%71%15%20230%5518
Flag of Ireland.svg Ireland 36%34%40%55%52%52%47%52%53%53%54%18%2016-1%161422
Flag of Italy.svg Italy 19%25%22%29%27%27%22%23%22%25%25%6%2016-4%343236
Flag of Kosovo.svg Kosovo 14%17%18%32%30%33%28%35%35%35%35%21%2020-230%262439
Flag of Latvia.svg Latvia 20%20%18%18%17%16%17%17%17%22%22%2%2022-230%373341
Flag of Liechtenstein.svg Liechtenstein 16%18%19%18%18%18%14%18%19%20%20%4%2022-230%383540
Flag of Lithuania.svg Lithuania 21%22%19%18%17%21%23%23%23%24%24%3%2022-230%363039
Flag of Luxembourg.svg Luxembourg 28%28%43%50%46%47%70%73%72%68%68%40%2020-5%7228
Flag of Malta.svg Malta 35%57%77%88%88%91%90%89%94%92%89%54%2021-5%1118
Flag of Moldova.svg Moldova 10%17%16%11%13%13%14%19%20%21%39%29%20230%232345
Flag of Monaco.svg Monaco 10%10%11%11%10%10%11%11%11%13%13%3%2022-230%444346
Flag of Montenegro.svg Montenegro 27%47%46%45%39%38%36%62%63%63%61%34%2021-22-2%12826
Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands 60%70%69%66%64%60%50%62%61%56%56%-4%2014-14%14414
Flag of North Macedonia.svg North Macedonia 13%13%13%18%16%14%11%25%27%27%29%16%20230%323144
Flag of Norway.svg Norway 66%68%69%76%78%78%68%68%67%68%67%1%2017-18-11%929
Flag of Poland.svg Poland 22%28%26%18%18%18%18%16%13%13%15%-7%2014-13%422842
Flag of Portugal.svg Portugal 65%67%67%76%69%69%66%66%68%62%62%-3%2016-14%11411
Flag of Romania.svg Romania 31%28%28%23%21%21%21%19%19%18%18%-13%2013-13%412141
Flag of Russia.svg Russia 7%6%8%7%6%11%10%10%10%8%8%1%2018-3%464549
Flag of San Marino.svg San Marino 14%14%14%14%12%12%13%13%13%14%14%0%2013-16, 2022–230%433944
Flag of Serbia.svg Serbia 25%30%29%32%30%30%28%33%33%37%35%10%2022-2%262328
Flag of Slovakia.svg Slovakia 27%31%29%29%28%29%30%30%30%34%30%3%2022-4%302332
Flag of Slovenia.svg Slovenia 35%35%32%43%44%48%40%42%42%42%46%11%2018-2%211725
Flag of Spain.svg Spain 65%73%69%70%67%67%61%67%65%62%74%9%20230%4311
Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden 65%65%72%65%60%60%62%63%65%68%68%3%2015-4%7412
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Switzerland 29%29%28%33%31%38%31%36%39%42%47%18%20230%202030
Flag of Turkey.svg Turkey 14%14%12%9%9%9%5%4%4%4%4%-10%2013-14-10%483948
Flag of Ukraine.svg Ukraine 12%12%10%13%19%21%22%22%18%19%20%8%2019-20-2%383446
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 77%82%86%81%76%73%66%66%64%53%53%-24%2015-33%17117

International Intersex Forum

Third International Intersex Forum, Malta, December 2013 Third International Intersex Forum.jpg
Third International Intersex Forum, Malta, December 2013

To include intersex people in its remit, ILGA-Europe and ILGA have jointly sponsored the only international gathering of intersex activists and organisations. The International Intersex Forum has taken place in Europe annually since 2011. [26] [27] [28] [29]

The third forum was held in Malta in 2013 with 34 people representing 30 organisations from all continents. The closing statement affirmed the existence of intersex people, reaffirmed "the principles of the First and Second International Intersex Fora and extend the demands aiming to end discrimination against intersex people and to ensure the right of bodily integrity, physical autonomy and self-determination". For the first time, participants made a statement on birth registrations, in addition to other human rights issues. [29] [30] [31]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association</span> International umbrella organization for LGBTI organizations

The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) is an organization which is committed to advancing human rights to all people, disregarding gender identity, sex characteristics and expression. ILGA participates in a multitude of agendas within the United Nations, such as creating visibility for LGBTI issues by conducting advocacy and outreach at the Human Rights Council, working with members to help their government improve LGBTI rights, ensuring LGBTI members are not forgotten in international law, and advocating for LBTI women's issues at the Commission on the Status of Women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Bulgaria</span>

LGBT people in Bulgaria face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Both male and female same-sex relationships are legal in Bulgaria, but same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal protections available to opposite-sex couples. Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation has been banned since 2004, with discrimination based on "gender change" being outlawed since 2015. In July 2019, a Bulgarian court recognized a same-sex marriage performed in France in a landmark ruling. For 2020, Bulgaria was ranked 37 of 49 European countries for LGBT rights protection by ILGA-Europe. Like most countries in Central and Eastern Europe, post-Communist Bulgaria holds socially conservative attitudes when it comes to such matters as homosexuality and transgender people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Cyprus</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in Cyprus have evolved in recent years, but LGBT people still face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity are legal in Cyprus since 1998, and civil unions which grant several of the rights and benefits of marriage have been legal since December 2015. Conversion therapy was banned in Cyprus in May 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Albania</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Albania face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents, although LGBT people are protected under comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation. Both male and female same-gender sexual activities have been legal in Albania since 1995, but households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal protections available to opposite-gender couples, with same-sex unions not being recognized in the country in any form.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Malta</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights in Malta rank among the highest in the world. Throughout the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the rights of the LGBT community received more awareness and same-sex sexual activity was legalized on 29 January 1973. The prohibition was already dormant by the 1890s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Kosovo</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) rights in Kosovo have improved in recent years, most notably with the adoption of the new Constitution, banning discrimination based on sexual orientation. Kosovo remains one of the few Muslim-majority countries where LGBT pride parades are held annually.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Asia</span>

Laws governing lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights are complex in Asia, and acceptance of LGBT persons varies widely. Same-sex sexual activity is outlawed in at least twenty Asian countries. As of 2023, Taiwan, Israel, Nepal, and India provide a wider range of LGBT rights – such as same-sex relationship recognition or anti-discrimination laws, while at least nine countries, such as Georgia, Singapore, Japan, Lebanon and Thailand, have enacted protections for LGBT people. In Afghanistan, Brunei, Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen homosexual activity is punishable by death. In addition, LGBT people also face extrajudicial executions from non-state actors such as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. While egalitarian relationships have become more frequent in recent years, they remain rare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transgender Europe</span>

Transgender Europe (TGEU) is a network of different organisations working to combat discrimination against trans people and support trans people rights. It was founded in 2005 in Vienna during the 1st European Transgender Council as "European Transgender Network" and it is currently a registered NGO as "Transgender Europe".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queer Cyprus Association</span>

Queer Cyprus Association is an LGBTQ rights organisation in Northern Cyprus aimed to deal with criminal law amendments of TRNC which criminalises same-sex relationships. They seek equal human rights including to "fully decriminalize homosexuality, equalize the age of consent and better protect LGBTQ people under the law.”

The European Parliament Intergroup on LGBTI Rights is an intergroup of the European Parliament's legislators which focuses on the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons both inside and outside the European Union. It is a cross-party group of Members of the European Parliament counting over 150 supporters from five political groups and all EU countries. The LGBTI Intergroup remains the largest in the 2019 to 2024 legislature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intersex civil society organizations</span> Intersex Human Rights Organizations: Worldwide

Intersex civil society organizations have existed since at least the mid-1980s. They include peer support groups and advocacy organizations active on health and medical issues, human rights, legal recognition, and peer and family support. Some groups, including the earliest, were open to people with specific intersex traits, while others are open to people with many different kinds of intersex traits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sebastian Rocca</span>

Sebastian Rocca is a social entrepreneur, an LGBTI rights advocate, and founder of Micro Rainbow International.

Kenita Placide is a human rights, HIV and LGBT activist from St. Lucia. She is the executive director of United and Strong and the Eastern Caribbean Coordinator of Caribbean Forum for Liberation and Acceptance of Genders and Sexualities (CariFLAGS). Between 2014 and 2016, she served at the Women's Secretariat for the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association. She has been on the forefront of bringing LGBT issues into discussion throughout the Anglo-Caribbean and international community. In 2013, she was selected as Star Publishing's People’s Choice for Person of the Year in St. Lucia, the first time an LGBT person had been honored with the award in her country.

Insight is a Ukrainian LGBTQI organization. Unlike most Ukrainian LGBT organizations focused on work with gay men and MSM, Insight’s priority is to help lesbians, bisexual women, transgender, queer and intersex people. Insight is one of the few public organizations in working with transgender people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miriam van der Have</span> Dutch intersex activist

Miriam van der Have is an intersex human rights activist and woman with androgen insensitivity syndrome. She is a co-founder and co-chair of OII Europe e.V in 2015, co-founder and managing director of NNID Foundation in the Netherlands and member of the ILGA board where she is Intersex Secretariat until spring 2019. Van der Have is also a documentary film maker and journalist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intersex and LGBT</span> Relationship between different sex and gender minorities

Intersex people are born with sex characteristics that "do not fit the typical definitions for male or female bodies". They are substantially more likely to identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) than the non-intersex population, with an estimated 52% identifying as non-heterosexual and 8.5% to 20% experiencing gender dysphoria. Although many intersex people are heterosexual and cisgender, this overlap and "shared experiences of harm arising from dominant societal sex and gender norms" has led to intersex people often being included under the LGBT umbrella, with the acronym sometimes expanded to LGBTI. Some intersex activists and organisations have criticised this inclusion as distracting from intersex-specific issues such as involuntary medical interventions.

Dr. Christine Marie-Helene Loudes was a human rights lawyer who worked to achieve social change for justice and equality. She was a noted human rights activist who dedicated much of her academic and professional life to campaigning for gender equality and advocating for women's rights. She was honoured for her work to end female genital mutilation (FGM) and headed Amnesty International's End FGM campaign that led to the establishment of the End FGM European Network. During her career, Dr Loudes worked with ILGA-Europe, the European Institute for Gender Equality and the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission.

Caine Youngman is a human rights activist and member of the LGBT rights movement in Botswana. He first gained international attention in 2011 when he tried to overturn the country's ban on same-sex relations. He worked for human rights group LEGABIBO until December 2022 and served on the board of Pan Africa ILGA, the regional chapter of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association.

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Further reading