LGBTIQ+

Advancing gender equality: What perspective for the next EU legislative cycle?

With the European Parliament elections taking place between on 6-9 June 2024, the European Union stands at a defining moment. The 2019-2024 term witnessed the breakthrough of long-stagnant gender initiatives, but challenges loom large in advancing gender equality in the EU. This article explores the prospects for the policy directions that will shape the gender equality agenda of the next European Parliament and Commission in this context.

By Victoire Olczak

Western Balkans and their uneasy road to (gender) democracy

Interview

In an interview for the Heinrich Böll Foundation Warsaw, Irena Cvetkovic talks strategies of dealing with structural discrimination, human rights situation in the Western Balkans, and creating a new progressive voice of the future.

By Aleksandra Janowska and Maria Puchalska

Queer in Poland: Autobiographies

is the result of the contest for queer autobiographies organized in 2020. These autobiographical accounts offer insights into the experiences of individuals who identify outside of heteronormativity in Poland: their upbringing, familial dynamics, romantic relationships, and interactions with public institutions.

Slovak terror: A nation hijacked by homophobia and transphobia

Analysis

The first terrorist attack in modern Slovak history was committed on the evening of 12 October 2022 when a young neo-Nazi shot and killed two people, non-binary Juraj Vankulič and bisexual Matúš Horváth. Rather than serving as a catalyst for eliminating LGBT+ inequality, that attack marked yet another step toward worsening the situation in Slovakia for LGBT+ people.

By Daniel Javoran

Pride and Prejudice: Georgia after the Escalation of Violence against Civil Society

Analysis

More than 50 people were injured in attacks on journalists and civil society in Tbilisi in early July in connection with Pride Week. The German Federal Government and the EU should strongly urge their Georgian partners to address the violence through prompt and comprehensive legal and political action.

By Dr. Sonja Katharina Schiffers

Sexual and Reproductive Rights

Women’s bodies have regularly been – and still are – the central target of conservative and fundamentalist ideology and praxis. Although the individual right to self-determination has always been shaped by social and cultural norms and legal frameworks, it is currently being determined more than ever by reproductive technologies and medical issues.

Overcoming Gender Backlash

We are honoured to present conference materials of the Second International Gender Workshop "Overcoming Gender Backlash: Experiences of Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Georgia, Armenia and Poland" organized and hosted by the Kyiv office in October 2013. In this publication you shall find analyses focused on gender education, LGBT issues, as well as sexual and reproductive health and rights of women in the respective countries.

Situation of Individuals with Non-heterosexual Orientation

International organizations are beginning to pay attention to the problems of the Belarusian LGBT community. This year, reports about violations of the rights of gays and lesbians in Belarus have been published by the majority of international organizations. However, this does not translate into an actual government effort. For the time being, state authorities try to avoid addressing publicly the issue of LGBT rights, thereby hindering any public debate on this subject.

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