ILGA-Europe writes this in its annual report on the current situation of the LGBT community in Europe. According to the organization, the increase in anti-LGBT+ sentiment has spread throughout the continent. Cyprus, Finland, Poland, Bulgaria and Spain, among others, are explicitly mentioned by the organization. ILGA-Europe also emphasizes the increase in online hate messages and physical attacks on LGBT people. They even observed a significant increase in anti-LGBT+ hate crimes in the UK. ILGA-Europe links this to the emergence of populist sounds surrounding the Brexit.

The organization also mentions that more and more LGBT+ people wish to flee their country to find a better life elsewhere. In this case, ILGA-Europe refers to the following countries in particular: Poland, Albania, Bosnia, Herzegovina.

“It is not all bad news,’’ says the executive director of the organization, Evelyne Paradis. “The issue of bodily integrity for intersex people continues to gain more prominence on the political agenda of governments and institutions. 2019 was a year of positive developments for rainbow families in the region, with an expansion of family rights in a few countries.”

The report does mention numerous positive developments regarding the number of countries implementing legal consequences against hate speech. Still, ILGA-Europe highlights the worrying increase in (neo-Nazi) demonstrations against the LGBT+ community during events such as Pride. “However, the lived reality of LGBTI people in many parts of Europe and Central Asia is increasingly difficult and for a large part remains invisible,” Paradis says. “Action is needed.” According to her, governments need to take a lot more action in order to protect the LGBT+ community.

Read the full report here.