The normalisation of hate speech by political and religious leaders has fuelled record levels of anti-LGBTI violence. Bias-motivated attacks and hate crimes have surged across Europe. In Poland, Serbia, Italy, and Belgium, harassment and physical assaults are on the rise. The EU-LGBTIQ Survey III (2024) found that 55% of respondents had experienced harassment in the past year, up from 37% in 2019. School bullying rates climbed from 46% to 67%. Reports from the Netherlands and Spain also show growing public discrimination and violent attacks against LGBTI individuals.
Governments in Albania, Italy, Slovakia, and Hungary have framed LGBTI rights as threats to traditional values. Meanwhile, trans healthcare has been severely restricted in Georgia, Hungary, Ireland, Romania, and the UK. ‘LGBT propaganda’ laws, criminalising LGBTI visibility and discussions, have been introduced or proposed in Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Slovakia, and Russia, limiting representation in education and public spaces. Sweden has debated including LGBTI topics in schools, though legal protections remain in place.
LGBTI asylum seekers also face major obstacles due to restrictive policies and lack of support. Reports from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Iceland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, and the Netherlands highlight inadequate housing and flawed asylum assessments.
Beyond legal measures, "foreign agent" laws in Bulgaria, Georgia, Hungary, Kyrgyzstan, and Montenegro target civil society organisations, forcing LGBTI groups to register as foreign-funded entities, undermining their credibility and operations. In Germany and Spain, conservative groups have attempted to limit LGBTI advocacy, though without formal legal changes. These trends reflect a broader erosion of democratic freedoms.
Despite these challenges, courts in Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Sweden continue to uphold LGBTI rights, ruling on asylum claims, hate speech regulations, and legal gender recognition. Some governments have also strengthened anti-hate speech laws to counter discrimination.
As far-right influence grows, LGBTI individuals are increasingly scapegoated for political gain. The ILGA-Europe report links these restrictions to weakening democratic institutions, underscoring the broader consequences of these developments.
