European Movement Ireland (EMI) is a not-for-profit, non-political, membership-based organisation. Since 1954, EMI’s mission has been to develop the connection between Ireland and Europe and to achieve greater public understanding of the European Union (EU). Below, they outline the current state of LGBTQ+ rights in the EU as Pride celebrations take place around the globe.

Happy LGBTQ+ Pride from the EM Ireland Team!

Over the months of June, July, and August, the rainbow flag will colour streets, windows and doorways across Ireland to celebrate Pride. The Pride Flag serves as an important symbol of the LGBTQ+ community; with red representing ‘life’, orange standing for ‘healing’; yellow epitomising ‘sunlight’; green reflecting ‘nature’; blue symbolising ‘serenity’ and violet conveying ‘spirit’.

You may see a chevron to the left side of the Progressive Pride Flag pointing rightward, which signifies the need for ongoing progress. This newer Pride Flag also features the colours black and brown, representing LGBTQ+ people with a minority background, as well as the colours light blue, pink, and white, the colours of the Transgender Pride Flag. Additionally, if you see a yellow triangle and purple circle, this represents the intersex community.

On June 29, the Pride parade took place in Dublin and over the next two months there will also be parades in Limerick (July 13), Carlow (July 14), Kerry (July 18), Drogheda (July 20), Cork (August 4), and Galway (August 17), to name a few.

This year, Dublin Pride is celebrating its 50th anniversary, or jubilee. The first Pride marches in Ireland were preceded by decades of LGBTQ+ activism. The roots of LGBTQ+ activism in Ireland grew from the historic 1969 Stonewall Riots in the US, which are credited with sparking the rise of global LGBTQ+ liberation movements.

The last four decades have seen LGBTQ+ activists across Europe push for a broader expansion of their legal rights, and in many areas, there have been positive developments in the fight for equality.

The experiences of LGBTQ+ people across the EU varies significantly from country to country and every group faces different challenges.

Ireland ranks 14th out of 48 countries on ILGA Europe’s 2024 Rainbow Map. Ireland scores high in areas such as civil society space and legal gender recognition. Malta is the EU Member State with the highest ranking on the Rainbow Map, scoring 100% on both the Family and Hate Crime and Hate Speech categories.

Romania, Bulgaria, Latvia, Italy, Lithuania and Czechia are among the EU countries that rank the lowest, but Poland places last. Poland’s position is driven by the fact that it has yet to adopt legal measures to recognise and protect same-sex couples. Poland also does not currently have hate crime laws that explicitly cover all bias-motivated crimes based on sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics.

In April 2024, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) published a report which revealed signs of slow but gradual progress in the area of LGBTQ+ rights. While discrimination against LGBTQ+ people remains high, it is gradually declining. The proportion of respondents who felt discriminated against in at least one area of life decreased from 42% in 2019 to 36% in 2023.

ILGA Europe’s Rainbow Map reports that 16 countries in Europe now have marriage equality. Legislation in countries such as Estonia and Greece came into force as recently as January and February 2024, respectively, to allow for same-sex couples to marry.

Today, schools address LGBTQ+ issues more often than before. Over one in five LGBTQ+ pupils now say that their school addressed the issue positively.

In Ireland, the new Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) and Relationship and Sex Education (RSE) junior cycle curriculum, published by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment in 2023, includes references to LGBTQ+ rights throughout. Additionally, the Minister for Children and Equality, Roderic O’Gorman, has stated that he is in favour of primary school students being taught more about what it means to be transgender.

However, despite progress being made in a variety of areas, LGBTQ+ people, and in particular trans and intersex groups, continue to experience hate-motivated violence, discrimination and victimisation, despite the protection afforded by EU law.

According to FRA, even though one in two LGBTQ+ people now report that they are open about their sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics, most still avoid holding hands with their same-sex partner in public for fear of being attacked. Additionally, over one in three said that they face discrimination in their daily life because of who they are. Over one in 10 experienced violence in the five years before the survey, slightly more than in 2019.

Discrimination and harassment can also remain invisible as less than one in 10 people surveyed by FRA say that they reported incidents.

Intersex, trans, non-binary and gender-diverse people face more harassment and violence. They are more likely to face mental health issues, with over half reporting that they have suicidal thoughts. They are also more likely to experience homelessness and struggle to access medical care. This is also true for LGBTQ+ people with disabilities, in financial hardship or members of ethnic, racial or other minority groups.

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In the European context, as of July 1, 2024, Hungary holds the Presidency of the Council of the EU.

Hungary is an EU Member State which is currently in infringement proceedings with the European Commission regarding its anti-LGBTQ+ ‘Child Protection Law‘ which was passed in 2021. Over the past year, the stigmatising effects of that law have become increasingly apparent, notably in the restrictions placed on depictions of LGBTQ+ persons in books, cultural institutions, and the media.

France saw a sharp rise in anti-LGBTQ+ incidents in 2023, according to a report published by the French interior ministry in June 2024. Activists say that this could become more widespread with the increased support for the National Rally in the French Parliament.

Closer to home, in Ireland, it is clear that progress is continuing to be made in the sphere of LGBTQ+ rights. A Bill which would place a ban on so-called ‘conversion therapy‘ has been listed as a priority for the Summer 2024 Government Legislative Programme. However, like in many other EU countries, civil society organisations and activists often step in to fill the absence of public services to support LGBTQ+ people with basic needs.

In 2024, Ireland does not legally recognise non-binary genders, trans healthcare continues to consist of detrimentally long wait times, and there has still been no progress made on banning medically unnecessary and non-consensual surgeries performed on intersex children.

June 2023 marked the 30th anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Ireland. However, LGBTQ+ equality across Europe is at a crossroads coloured by progress and challenges. Let the rainbow flags that you see in doorways and windows over the coming months act a reminder of this fact.

Pride’s foundation is a riot and Pride’s future is the recognition of fundamental rights for all.