UK drops from most LGBTQ+ friendly country in Europe to 22nd

For the tenth consecutive year, the UK has become less welcoming to LGBTQ+ individuals, as shown by a new map. ILGA-Europe, an international human rights organisation, annually assesses the legal and policy environments for LGBTQ+ people across 49 countries.

The UK topped the Rainbow Map and Index from 2011 to 2015. However, it has since fallen significantly, ranking 22nd this year, down from 16th place last year, according to the latest Rainbow Map released today. The UK received a score of 45.65%, where 0% indicates severe human rights violations and 100% represents full support for human rights, according to ‘Metro’.

This score is above the European average of 41.85% but below the European Union average of 51.13%. ILGA-Europe informed Metro that a recent Supreme Court decision on the definition of “woman” contributed to the UK’s decline. The court ruled that, under equality law, “sex” is defined as “biological sex”, excluding trans women from the legal definition of women.

ILGA-Europe expressed concern that this ruling means trans individuals may now be treated legally according to their sex at birth in crucial areas such as service access and protection from discrimination. They noted that “Legal gender recognition must ensure that trans people are recognized in all areas of life. That is no longer the case in the UK,” and subsequently removed all points related to legal gender recognition from the rankings this year. The current law fails to universally acknowledge trans individuals, jeopardising their safety, dignity, and equality.

ILGA-Europe urged the government to “limit the damage” by ensuring comprehensive legal protection for trans Britons. “If the government is serious about being a global leader on human rights, now is the time to act, not to retreat,” they added.

The UK also lost points due to the absence of a ban on conversion therapy and restricted healthcare options for trans youth. Concerns were raised about the UK’s approach to LGBTQ+ asylum rights, with reports indicating rejections by the Home Office for not being considered “truly gay” and experiences of homelessness and abuse among queer refugees during the application process.

Additional issues included government advisories against teaching about trans lives in schools and the minimal rights afforded to intersex individuals, who do not fit traditional male or female definitions.

This announcement follows shortly after major Pride events in cities like London, Brighton, Manchester, and Birmingham announced their decision to ban political parties from participating in this week’s parade, citing failures to protect LGBTQ+ rights.

The UK scored the maximum in “civil society space”, indicating that LGBTQ+ individuals’ rights to freedom of expression, assembly, and funding are secure. ILGA-Europe also awarded the UK nine out of eleven for family rights, such as marriage equality and adoption, and six out of nine for protections against hate crimes and hate speech.

In 2015, when the UK was last the most LGBTQ+ friendly nation in Europe, marriage equality had just been legalised in England and Wales, and the Rainbow Map highlighted the UK’s “respect for human rights.” However, the UK is not alone in its decline. Hungary dropped to 37th place after prohibiting LGBTQ+ Pride events, and Georgia fell seven places due to a sweeping anti-LGBTQ+ bill banning marriage equality, same-sex adoption, trans healthcare, gender recognition, and media depictions of queer individuals.

These developments illustrate a broader anti-LGBTQ+ trend across Europe driven by far-right influences. ILGA-Europe’s advocacy director, Katrin Hugendubel, stated: “The big headlines about the UK and Hungary draw attention, but democracy is being eroded quietly across Europe, like a thousand paper cuts.” She further emphasized, “The time to push back is now before the targeted attacks we’re seeing in countries like Hungary, the UK, and Georgia become the norm rather than the exception.”