Homophobia and Discrimination on

sexual abuse (4 per cent) were also common. 407 In a Swedish survey, 32 per cent of
transgender respondents said they lacked emotional support in their lives in comparison
to 19 per cent of gay respondents <strong>and</strong> about 10 per cent of heterosexual respondents.
Fifteen per cent missed practical support against 4 per cent of the heterosexual
population <strong>and</strong> 9 per cent of the gay population. Finally, 37 per cent of transgender
persons reported that they lacked confidence in most other people. 408 In Hungary,
‘rejection was the most often mentioned reaction from family… After several years of
struggle some had experienced practical signs of acceptance’. 409 In Sweden few
transgender people are open about their gender identity in their families of origin – about
80 per cent among those born in the 60s or later, <strong>and</strong> 54-60 per cent among those born
before the 60s. 410
Hate Crime
Little is known about the extend of hate crime against transgender people in the EU.
There is no research data on this topic for any EU Member State. However there are
indications that transgender people are very often victims of hate crime in the course of
their lives, ranging from harassment, bullying <strong>and</strong> verbal abuse to physical violence,
sexual assault <strong>and</strong> even murder. As noted above, the European Parliament has
‘monitored a proliferation of hate speech targeting the lesbian, gay, bisexual <strong>and</strong>
transgender (LGBT) community in a number of European countries’. 411 The OSCE
stated the following in their report ‘Hate Crimes in the OSCE Region: Incidents <strong>and</strong>
Responses’: ‘Homophobic hate crimes <strong>and</strong> incidents often show a high degree of cruelty
<strong>and</strong> brutality. They often involve severe beatings, torture, mutilation, castration, even
sexual assault. They are also very likely to result in death. Transgender people seem to
be even more vulnerable within this category.’ 412
Over the course of the last several years a number of cases of transgender people who
were murdered reached the national <strong>and</strong> international media. The case that received the
most attention was that of a transsexual in the city of Porto, Portugal, who was tortured,
407 Scottish Transgender Alliance (2008) Transgender Experiences in Scotl<strong>and</strong> - Research Summary,
Edinburgh: Equality Network, p. 11
408 Statens Folkshälsoinstitut (2005) Homosexuellas, bisexuellas och transpersoners hälsosituation,
Återrapportering av regeringsuppdrag att undersöka och analysera hälsosituationen bl<strong>and</strong> hbt-personer,
Östersund: FHI, p. 33f
409 Solymár, B, Takács, J (2007) Wrong Bodies <strong>and</strong> Real Selves: Transsexual People in the Hungarian
Social <strong>and</strong> Health Care System, in: Kuhar, R, Takács, J (eds.) (2007) Beyond the Pink Curtain; Everyday
Life of LGBT People in Eastern Europe, Ljubljana: Mirovni Institut, p. 153
410 Statens Folkshälsoinstitut (2005) Homosexuellas, bisexuellas och transpersoners hälsosituation,
Återrapportering av regeringsuppdrag att undersöka och analysera hälsosituationen bl<strong>and</strong> hbt-personer,
Östersund: FHI, p. 37
411 European Parliament Resolution, ‘<strong>Homophobia</strong> in Europe’ adopted 26 April 2007, P6_TA(2007)0167
412 OSCE/ODIHR (2007) Hate Crimes in the OSCE Region: Incidents <strong>and</strong> Responses; Annual report for
2006; Warsaw: OSCE/ODIHR, p. 53f
Part II - The Social Situation
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