Rainbow Digest January 2025
Activists demand action as anti-LGBTI violence surges in Italy
Activists demand action as anti-LGBTI violence surges in Italy
Over the past month Italy has seen a surge in anti-LGBTI violence—from brutal hate-motivated attacks to threatening messages defacing an LGBTI centre. In response, thousands have taken to the streets of Rome and Milan, demanding urgent government action. But openly anti-LGBTI rhetoric from Italy’s leaders, alongside a serious lack of legal protection, leaves the country’s LGBTI community increasingly vulnerable.
Read our statement of solidarity.
Listen to our podcast with activists in Italy.
What’s next for the LGBTI movement in 2025?
“In these challenging times, we need to redefine success and celebrate even the smallest wins. Every act of visibility, every partnership, and every step forward is a victory. Together, we’re part of a larger ecosystem of change.”
ILGA-Europe’s Executive Director Chaber shares their reflection on where the LGBTI movement is heading in the coming year, amid resource cuts and rising anti-LGBTI propaganda laws.
ILGA-Europe news
New funding for racialised LGBTI groups
We’ve just launched a new program to help strengthen the work of up to 13 European groups working for and with racialised LGBTI communities.
We’ve discontinued posting X
After a thorough review, this month we stopped posting to our X account. Learn more about our rationale and plans in the statement we made.
Join our communications support group
Next month we’re launching a regular Communications Support Group to inspire and empower LGBTI activists by spotlighting innovative communications experiences.
Learn more and join the sessions.
We’re hiring a Senior Partnerships Officer
The new Senior Partnerships Officer will be actively contributing to the resourcing of ILGA-Europe’s work by connecting and working with individual donors and private sector partners.
LATEST NEWS
Asylum
Lessons from refugee-led support for racialised LGBTI asylum seekers
In a new blog post, Break Isolation Group highlights how its strategies in working with LGBTI asylum seekers in Germany can serve as a model for broader movements addressing the intersection of LGBTI rights, racialisation, and migration.
BIAS-MOTIVATED SPEECH
Long-awaited judgment on violations of LGBTI human rights in Armenia
On 7 January, the European Court of Human Rights issued a judgement in the case of Minasyan and Others v. Armenia. The Court found a violation of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (right to private and family life), taken alone and in conjunction with Article 14 of the Convention (prohibition of discrimination). The case was brought forward by 14 Armenian human rights defenders and activists who supported and/or belonged to the LGBTI community and were victims of homophobic and transphobic hate speech.
EQUALITY AND NON-DISCRIMINATION
The mandate of LGBTI Intergroup has been renewed
The European Parliament decided to renew the LGBTI Intergroup at the European Parliament for 2025-2029. The coming years will pose challenges that will require both bold and strategic action from the EU in order to defend human rights and equality for LGBTI people both in the EU and beyond.
New discriminatory proposals from the Slovak government
On 28 January, the Prime Minister of Slovakia announced his government will bring in new rules around gender markers and a ban on adoption for same-sex couples through constitutional changes.
Freedom of expression
A Kazakh parliamentarian suggests to ban “LGBT propaganda”
On 22 January, Yedil Zhanbyrshin, a deputy from the Amanat ruling party in Kazakhstan called on the government to push forward the discussion on a public petition to ban so-called “LGBT propaganda”, citing Trump’s recent actions.
LEGAL GENDER RECOGNITION
CJEU rules against mandatory gendered titles on train tickets
On 9 January, the the European Court of Justice issued a judgment in the case C-394/23 initiated by the Mousse Association, saying that it is unlawful for a railway company to collect a customer’s gender marker, saying this personal data is not necessary for the purchase of a train ticket and may create a risk of discrimination on grounds of gender identity.
Resources for activists
Build strong communications strategies
Over the past three years at ILGA-Europe we have been running a number of online Skills Boost sessions for activists who want to improve their communications skills. Recently we held two sessions on how to develop a communications strategy.
Here’s what our participants learned.
New podcast episodes on working across differences
We published two new episodes of The Frontline podcast, exploring how the LGBTI movement can work across differences.
In the first episode, we talk with activists from Ireland, Kazakhstan and the UK exploring how we can build bridges across diverse identities and experiences to strengthen solidarity in the face of external challenges.
In the second episode, we explore cancel culture with Sabah Choudrey’s inspiring talk. Within the LGBTI movement, how has cancel culture influenced our work and relationships—and how can we move beyond it while staying true to our values?
New translations of legal toolkit on the rights of intersex people
OII Europe recently translated our joint toolkit “Protecting Intersex People in Europe: A toolkit for law and policy makers” into two European languages: Finnish and Greek.
Read more and download your own copies.
Notice board
- European AIDS Treatment Group is accepting grant applications from community-based organisations for the translation or production of a community-informed, population-specific informational resource material related to HIV combination prevention. Read more and apply by 6 February.
- The European Commission has opened applications for the New European Bauhaus Prizes 2025 to support innovative ideas and creative projects in the EU, Western Balkans, and Ukraine in relation to sustainability, inclusivity, and beauty. Read more and apply by 14 February.
- Rainbow Mind from the United Kingdom is hosting an 8-week online Radical Self-Care workshop series for LGBTQIA+ BAPOC (Black, Asian, People of Colour) and racialised activists in Europe. Register for the workshops.
- IGLYO is collecting data on the experiences of LGBTIQ+ young people with experience of running away, being forced to leave their home and/or being homeless in an EU country or the UK before the age of 18. Read more and respond to the survey by 16 March.
- Global Philanthropy Project is hiring a Global Resources Report Associate to develop the Global Resources Report: Government & Philanthropic Support for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex Communities. Read more and apply by 17 March.
- European Digital Rights (EDRi) is looking for an Executive Director to join their team in Brussels. Read more and apply by 9 March.
