Despite legal advancements and greater openness about sexual orientation, discrimination and violence against LGBTQ+ people is on the rise in places including Europe – while elsewhere in the world many countries still criminalise same-sex relationships.

May 17 is International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia – and this year’s theme is No one left behind: Equality, freedom and justice for all, highlighting both the progress and ongoing challenges in protecting LGBTQ+ rights.

Significant strides have been made to protect sexual and gender minorities.

Since 2019, 11 countries have legalised marriage equality. Since 2017, 13 countries have removed laws criminalising LGBTQ+ sexuality.

But despite these advances, discrimination and stigma persist. Many countries still criminalise consensual same-sex relationships, with some imposing the death penalty.

More LGBTIQ people in Europe now live openly. YET, they face more violence, harassment, & bullying than before.The @EURightsAgency‘s new report shows that EU countries need to do more to achieve LGBTIQ equality. See ➡️ https://t.co/TIaLagwvz9#LGBTIQSurvey #OurDataYourAlly pic.twitter.com/VBW3I4JFlW— EU Fundamental Rights ➡️ #HumanRights (@EURightsAgency) May 14, 2024

European spike

In a study described as “clear wake-up call”, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) this week found violence against sexual and gender minorities had risen across Europe over the last five years

Europe is facing a “paradox”, FRA director Sirpa Rautio said.

While people are more open about their sexual orientation compared to the last report in 2019, “alarming rates of violence tell a different story”.

More than one in two LGBTQ+ people now talk openly about their sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, as well as their sexual characteristics.

“But most of them still avoid holding their partner’s hand in public for fear of being attacked,” the FRA said.

This was the case for 60 percent of those surveyed in France, compared with an EU average of 53 percent.

The number of those who said they had been victims of violence rose to 14 percent, slightly more than in 2019, with transgender people being particularly targeted.

Harassment now affects more than half of those surveyed, compared with 37 percent previously.

The situation is particularly bad at schools, where two-thirds say they have been bullied.

But discrimination remains largely invisible, with only a low percentage reporting an incident to the authorities.

In Hungary, where LGBTQ+ rights have regressed in recent years, only a fraction of people feel the government fights prejudice and intolerance against them – the lowest percentage in the bloc.

Rights groups have also found a rise in violence against LGBTQ+ people in Greece, which legalised same-sex marriage in Febrary.

Despite this, there have been reports of victims of “unprovoked violence … usually homophobic and transphobic verbal attacks often resulting in physical violence”.

Argentina backsliding?

Argentina has been a Latin American leader in gay marriage and identity legislation, with a 2021 law allowing non-binary people to mark their gender with an “X.”

But a deadly hate crime in the capital Buenos Aires this month shocked many in a nation that prides itself on gay rights.

Three women died after a man threw a Molotov cocktail at the home of two lesbian couples, setting it ablaze.

Many fear a backsliding in their freedoms under libertarian President Javier Milei.

Since taking office in December, Milei has scrapped the national women’s affairs ministry and the anti-discrimination agency, and banned the use of gender-inclusive language in the military.

May 17th is the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT). This year’s theme is “No one left behind: equality, freedom, and justice for all.” Sadly, LGBTIQ refugees are often left behind by larger humanitarian organizations and institutions. pic.twitter.com/bp1r4MxZoL— ORAM (@ORAMrefugee) April 29, 2024

Ugandan hurdles

A year after Uganda enacted one of the world’s harshest anti-gay laws, many LGBTQ+ exiles are struggling to start over – facing a host of new hurdles alongside some of the same old threats that forced them out.

From Canada to Kenya to Germany, their new homelands have not proved the sanctuary that many LGBTQ+ Ugandans hoped.

Finding work, a home, safety and acceptance have proved elusive for many who felt forced out by Kampala’s tough anti-homosexuality laws.

Yet even this new half-life is better than the old one.

“Every queer person would love to leave Uganda,” said Henry Mukiibi, a bisexual man who swapped Uganda for neighbouring Kenya in late 2023 under fear of arrest for his activism.

The Anti-Homosexuality Act was signed into law in May 2023, prompting international sanctions and widespread condemnation.

While Uganda has long criminalised gay sex, the new law was tougher yet – imposing the death penalty for “serial offenders” and a 20-year prison sentence for the “promotion of homosexuality”.

There has been a surge in anti-LGBTQ+ abuse, including cases of torture, rape and evictions, as ordinary citizens grew emboldened by the government stance.

The United Nations says close to 600 people have faced rights violations and abuses in the past year due to their perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.