A Spectre Is Haunting Europe — the Spectre of Transphobia
👊🏻 17 May is the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBiT). We are entering a time when dates like this are becoming increasingly relevant. Country after country continues its assault on LGBTIQ+ rights, with trans people, as so often, the main target 🏳️⚧️
🗺 We analysed what is happening in Europe using the published indices and maps from TGEU — Transgender Europe and Central Asia and ILGA-Europe.
🇺🇦 In Ukraine, attacks on people motivated by transphobia and homophobia continue. Meanwhile, the state has still not adopted the important Bill No. 5488, which would help prevent these crimes.
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What do the updated rights indices tell us?
The international organisations ILGA-Europe, the International LGBTI Association, and TGEU, Transgender Europe and Central Asia, updated their interactive maps of LGBTIQ+ rights in general and trans rights in particular.
The conclusions are not very encouraging. The rainbow indices turned out to be less than “rainbow-coloured”.
On 17 May, the day against homophobia, biphobia and transphobia, we can say that, for now, we are losing this fight.
A reactionary assault on LGBTIQ+ rights, and especially trans rights, is unfolding across Europe. This is no coincidence: these are clear trends. Things only get worse from here.
Regression exceeds progress
For the first time in 13 years, TGEU’s index showed that regression exceeds progress: trans rights are shrinking faster than they are expanding.
Transphobia is becoming a political tool used by populists, authoritarian regimes and “defenders of tradition”. In many countries, other rights are also under attack: freedom of assembly, the right to marry and protection from violence.
The biggest rollbacks occurred in Hungary, the United Kingdom, Georgia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The aggressor state is at the bottom of both rankings. Iceland leads TGEU’s index, while Malta leads ILGA’s.
It is becoming harder for trans people to obtain legal gender recognition, become parents and avoid violence; and for intersex children to avoid interventions on their bodies.
What about Ukraine?
Despite the war, democratic processes continue. There are no institutional restrictions imposed by the state.
Among neighbouring countries, Ukraine has the easiest process for transition and changing documents. However, minors still cannot change their name or gender marker in their passport without additional restrictions — for example, as in Poland.
Ukraine’s Labour Code, in Article 21, also prohibits discrimination on the grounds of “…sex, gender identity, sexual orientation…”.
Unfortunately, that is all. Marriage equality remains out of reach, as does, for now, a system of registered partnerships.
Bill No. 5488, which would strengthen liability for hate crimes motivated by homophobia, biphobia and transphobia, has still not been adopted.
Ukraine also lacks a systematic anti-discrimination policy. There is no recognition of non-binary people and no protection for intersex people against mutilating surgeries.
But our fight continues!