Attitudes Towards LGBTIQ Rights in The EU

Author: Ross Fitzpatrick

This explainer aims to provide a broad overview of the attitudes towards LGBTIQ rights across the EU by looking at the situation under three headings: public perception, government action and legislation. Furthermore, the timeline which charts the development of the evolution of LGBTIQ legislation in Ireland provides valuable food for thought.

Although it is difficult to extrapolate definitive conclusions from a relatively small collection of data, it is notable that most EU Member States are implementing policies to advance LGBTIQ equality, while a number of other Member States have continually failed to adopt progressive LGBTIQ legislation or take adequate action to combat discrimination.

Moreover, it is evident from the data that the existence of robust LGBTIQ legislative and policy initiatives does not always translate into positive public perception towards LGBTIQ people and would suggest that a more holistic approach is necessary going forward.