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1 photoThe “Istanbul Crisis” deepens in the EU: the European Parliament has declared the European Union an area of freedom for LGBTIQ people. Photo for ELTA
“LGBTIQ people across the EU should enjoy the freedom to live and publicly display their sexual orientation and gender identity without fear of intolerance, discrimination or persecution for these reasons,” said the EP. Its members add that “the institutions at all levels of government in the EU must protect and promote the equality and fundamental rights of all people, including LGBTIQ people, and fully guarantee their rights.” The EP resolution also states that “hate rhetoric and crimes against LGBTIQ people must be thoroughly investigated” and “prosecuted when necessary”.
The EP Information Office in Lithuania announced that the resolution had been approved on Thursday by 492 votes to 141 and 46 abstentions. This is a response by MEPs to attempts to declare “LGBT-free” zones in certain regions and municipalities in Poland, as well as to attacks against LGBTIQ people in other EU countries. MEPs emphasize the increasing discrimination faced by the LGBTIQ community in Poland and the outrage over the spread of hate speech by elected officials and officials, including the country’s president, as well as pro-government media. MEPs condemn the detention of LBGTIQ rights activists, as well as the attacks on LGBTIQ marches and bans.
The European Commission has already rejected requests for EU funding under the Urban Association of Polish cities that have declared themselves “LGBT free”. MEPs call on the Commission to take further measures to protect the rights of LGBTIQ people in Europe, including infringement procedures, Article 7 TEU and the recently adopted regulation on the protection of the EU budget.
The resolution also expresses concern about the deterioration of the situation in Hungary. Last November, the Hungarian city of Nadkata passed a resolution prohibiting “spreading and promoting LGBTIQ propaganda.” A month later, the Hungarian parliament passed constitutional amendments that further restrict the rights of LGBTIQ people, deny the very existence of transgender and non-binary people, and restrict their right to family life.
The threat to the rights of LGBTIQ people is also noted in Latvia, the EP notes. In January this year, the Latvian Parliament began examining an amendment to the constitution aimed at restricting the extended concept of the family established in a ruling of the Constitutional Court (CC). The CC recognized that Latvian labor law should apply to various family models and obliged the country’s parliament to guarantee the rights and protection of same-sex couples.
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