
A wave of anti-LGBT+ hate crime and discriminatory laws is sweeping Europe, exposing the gaps in the European Unionโs laws meant to protect LGBT+ folks across all member states. While the EU recently completed a multi-year plan to improve LGBT+ rights, a parallel and pernicious countermovement driven by local far-right groups has been dismantling and weakening those efforts.
In a 2019 European-wide survey by the EUโs Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), 43% of LGBT+ respondents reported experiencing discrimination at some point in the past year. For trans respondents, 60% had experienced discrimination. This is up from 37% and 43% respectively just seven years prior. Meanwhile, harassment was up 58% in 2019, from 45% in 2012.
As incidents of discrimination and harassment increased, the likelihood of reporting cases to authorities decreased from the already low rate of 17% in 2012 to 14% in 2019. Meanwhile, 60% of respondents reported avoiding holding hands with their partner or otherwise publicly expressing their sexuality or gender identity for fear of harassment and discrimination.
These statistics paint a picture of an increasingly intolerant social landscape for LGBT+ Europeans. Anti-LGBT+ hate is increasing while protections for this vulnerable community are weakening, thus forcing LGBT+ folks to feel increasing pressure to hide their identity.
Systemic LGBT+ Discrimination Through Legislation

ILGA Europeโs 2020 Rainbow Map research found that the already insufficient existing protections for LGBT+ people are disappearing across Europe for the second year in a row. In countries where governments have long ignored or actively discriminated against their LGBT+ citizens, the situation got worse. In Turkey, for example, police have been cracking down on Pride marches and LGBT+ Turks have experienced increasing violence during the COVID-19 lockdown as state-run hate campaigns blamed them for spreading the virus.
In Poland, local authorities in nearly 100 towns, cities, and regions have declared themselves โLGBT-Free Zones.โ Resolutions banning โLGBT ideologyโ or โprotecting familiesโ in these areas effectively make LGBT discrimination the law. Same-sex marriages arenโt recognized. Same-sex couples cannot adopt children. Schools cannot teach LGBT issues to children. Similarly, in Hungary, teaching LGBT+ issues in schools has been criminalized.

In Italy, legislation that would officially recognize anti-LGBT+ bias as a hate crimeโthus providing harsher punishment for those who commit homophobic-motivated attacksโis stalled in the senate as right-wing officials and the Vatican argue that passing it would restrict their freedom of expression.
Even in countries that are otherwise considered to be relatively progressive when it comes to LGBT+ rights, tensions are rising. In Spain, a far-right party is gaining support while campaigning on an openly homophobic platform in which homosexuality is linked to bestiality.
Rising Rates of Hate Crimes
As far-right politicians increasingly rely on homophobic rhetoric and push for discriminatory legislation, homophobic citizens are feeling emboldened to express and act on their anti-LGBT+ bias. As a result, rates of hate crimes are rising in multiple countries.
In the United Kingdom, for example, hate crimes of all kinds have been steadily increasing since 2012. In 2019, hate crimes motivated by homophobic prejudices spiked 25% from the previous year. Likewise, Germany saw a 36% jump in anti-LGBT+ hate crimes in 2020. France also witnessed a 36% jump in the same year.

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The increasing number of attacks paired with the loosening of protections and the rollback of LGBT+ rights across Europe is making daily life for this vulnerable population increasingly more difficult and dangerous.
Violence Is Rising But LGBT+ Europeans Are Not Alone

As tensions build and countries move slowly (or move backward) in the fight for stronger protections for LGBT+ Europeans, there is some hope. An EU commission survey found that 76% of Europeans are in favor of equal rights for LGBT+ people. This is up from 71% in 2015, proving that even though homophobic opponents are loud (and often violent) they are still a small minority of the population.
While the European Union looks for ways to pressure member states to repeal discriminatory laws, grassroots organizations and NGOs across Europe are working to improve protections and promote LGBT+ rights in those countries where they are most threatened.
Here are a few of the organizations you can support if you want to help LGBT+ folks facing this rising tide of discrimination and violence in Europe:
- Campaign Against Homophobia in Poland (website is in Polish)
- Hatter Society in Hungary
- SPoD in Turkey (website in Turkish)
- Arcigay in Italy