“This first strategy at EU level will reinforce our joint efforts to ensure that everyone is treated equally.”
After a string of anti LGBTQ+ behavior from countries like Poland and Hungary, the EU is taking matters into its own hands to protect its LGBTQ+ citizens with a new equality strategy.
It has been revealed that the European Union is in the process of fighting back against Poland’s “LGBT-free zones” and Hungary’s adoption discrimination against LGBTQ+ couples.
The proposed law will make hate speech towards LGBTQ+ people illegal and will also provide protection to same-sex couples.
In a new report from the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, “43% of LGBTQ+ people revealed that they felt discriminated against in 2019”.
European commissioner, Věra Jourová looks to combat this anti-LGBTQ+ behavior, stating: “Constitutional reforms should always be subject to a large inclusive and public debate, not only debate in political circles. It needs to have enough time to … achieve the necessary checks and balances.”
She continued: “The family law is a member state competence. We fully respect it. However, when applying national law, member states must also respect their international human rights obligations and apply EU law.”
Poland and Hungary have become two countries within the EU that have vocally expressed their intolerance of LGBTQ+ people.
Polish President, Andrzej Duda, described the LGBTQ+ community as an “ideology” and is “more destructive than communist indoctrination” during his campaign back in June. This form of hate can also be seen in over 100 Polish communities that dub themselves “LGBT-free zones”.
The Hungarian government gained attention earlier this week for their proposed constitutional concerning adoption and for stating “new modern ideologies in the western world raise doubt about the creation of the male and female sex, and endanger the right of children to have a healthy development.”
The new protection strategy would span over the next five years and focus on “tackling discrimination; ensuring safety; building inclusive societies, and leading the call for LGBTIQ equality around the world.”
“Today, EU asserts itself, as the example to follow, in the fight for diversity and inclusion. Equality and non-discrimination are core values and fundamental rights in the European Union,” says Commissioner for Equality, Helena Dalli.
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