Homophobia and Discrimination on

<strong>Homophobia</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Discrimination</strong> on Grounds of Sexual Orientation <strong>and</strong> Gender Identity in the EU Member States
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Conclusions
LGBT persons experience homophobia, transphobia <strong>and</strong> discrimination in different
forms, including direct as well as indirect discrimination, <strong>and</strong> homophobic <strong>and</strong>
transphobic bullying <strong>and</strong> harassment. This often takes the form of demeaning or
derogatory statements, name calling, insults or the use of abusive language. Moreover,
the occurrence of verbal <strong>and</strong> physical attacks against LGBT persons has been detected
in all the Member States.
This affects the lives of LGBT persons in different ways. From the earliest year groups,
derogatory words for gays <strong>and</strong> lesbians are used at schools. At the workplace,
harassment can be an everyday occurrence. Relationships often lack the ability to
secure one another as full legal partners. At retirement homes awareness of LGBT
persons’ needs can be nonexistent.
Negative attitudes toward LGBT people were identified in all Member States of the EU.
Some EU citizens report that they would be uncomfortable having a homosexual as a
friend, colleague or neighbour. Some would also be uncomfortable with a relative
forming a relationship with a transgender person. Some consider LGBT persons
ineligible to work as teachers. Some do not think LGBT persons should be visible in
public spaces. And some believe that homosexuality is an illness that should be treated
medically.
Lack of Visibility <strong>and</strong> the Extent of <strong>Discrimination</strong>
This report shows that the ‘invisibility’ of LGBT persons in various sectors of EU society
is a prominent issue. The fact that many LGBT persons are not open about their status
may mean that incidents of experienced or perceived discrimination are not reflected in
statistics or do not reach the authorities, as they are not reported or filed as part of
complaints for legal review.
Furthermore this study shows that many LGBT persons adopt a strategy of invisibility
due to, among other things, the fear of homophobia, transphobia <strong>and</strong> discrimination.
Again, this strategy, as well as a lack of awareness of rights, prevents LGBT persons
from reporting incidents of experienced discrimination.
This picture correlates with the finding of the majority of National Equality Bodies that the
number of reported sexual orientation discrimination cases is low compared to other
grounds of discrimination. These factors contribute to making discrimination against
LGBT persons less visible <strong>and</strong> the extent difficult to determine.