ILGA-Europe

24/06/2026

The freedoms to gather, assemble and peacefully protest are not guaranteed.

They depend on people showing up, participating and protecting them.

Join the movement to Protect Pride. Protect Democracy.

protectprideprotectdemocracy.com

22/06/2026

🩷 When Hubert and Kamil recently said “I do”, their beautiful wedding in Brussels celebrated not only their love, but also their commitment to a more equal future for LGBTI communities everywhere.

While there are many places where same-sex couples can celebrate their marriage, there are still 18 out of 49 countries in Europe that do not recognise same-sex partnerships.

To mark their special day, Hubert and Kamil chose to make a donation to ILGA-Europe on behalf of their wedding guests, turning their celebration into an act of solidarity.

Their generous gift helps the work of ILGA-Europe, alongside frontline activists across Europe and Central Asia, to advance inclusive laws and policies and change hearts and minds.

Each guest received a table card with a special message: “Thanks to this gift, you are now part of the journey toward a world in which every LGBTI person is free, equal, and safe.”

Whether you're celebrating a wedding, birthday, anniversary, or another special occasion, you too can dedicate your day to LGBTI equality. Visit our website or get in touch to find out more 👉 https://www.ilga-europe.org/about-us/get-involved/celebration-giving/

Photos by Louis Kerckhof

21/06/2026

As Ukraine advances on its path toward EU membership, its commitment to human rights must move forward, not backward.

Proposed amendments to the Civil Code would undermine protections for LGBTI people and block progress on registered partnerships, despite clear developments in Ukrainian and European jurisprudence. Human rights organisations also warn that the draft would weaken protections for women, persons with disabilities, and children.

The Speaker of Parliament and author of the draft, Ruslan Stefanchuk, has publicly stated that registered partnerships will not be legalised and has rejected the vast majority of amendments proposed by human rights organisations.

The response from civil society has been clear. Protests took place across Ukraine on 17 May, a petition calling for the draft to be rejected gathered 25,000 signatures in just 10 hours, and activists have continued to mobilise through Odessa Pride, Lviv Pride and today at Kyiv Pride.

The return of Pride events during wartime demonstrates the resilience and determination of communities demanding equal rights and respect for Ukraine's constitutional, European and international human rights commitments.

Ukraine's Parliament should reject this amendment package and ensure that the country's legal framework reflects the values, rights and freedoms that underpin its European future.

KyivPride

20/06/2026

World Refugee Day (June 20) and Pride happen in the same month. Europe celebrates Pride and talks about LGBTI rights, but at the same time pushes policies that speed up detention and deportation of racialised LGBTI asylum seekers.

For many, this isn’t a contradiction on paper. It’s daily life: celebration on one side, borders and exclusion on the other.

We stand with racialised q***r refugees and work with them, not for them. Liberation has to include everyone facing systems of oppression. Read the statement from ENAR and Queerstion, which we are proud to sign, at the link in our bio and join the call by sharing this post widely.

Co-authored with Queerstion Brussels, Belgium – 20 June 2026 This joint statement exposes the contradiction at the heart of the EU’s approach to LGBTIQ+ rights and migration. While institutions position Europe as a defender of equality, racialised LGBTIQ+ refugees continue to face detention, dep...

19/06/2026

The Tarlabaşı Community Centre has been supporting communities living in poverty and facing discrimination in Istanbul’s Tarlabaşı neighbourhood since 2006.

The community centre provides psychosocial support to disadvantaged groups with a gender equality and LGBTI+ inclusive approach.

Following an orchestrated smear campaign by pro-government and anti-gender private actors against the centre’s work with women and children, the Turkish authorities have been targeting the centre with several lawsuits since 2021.

At the end of April, an Appeals Court declared the organisation as having “ceased to exist in 2007”, in another attempt to shut down its activities.

The decision comes against the backdrop of the dissolution judgement against Genç LGBTI+ Association and discussions on including draconian provisions targeting LGBTI+ persons and women’s rights in future Judicial Packages.

The Turkish state appears to be stepping up its targeting of not only LGBTI+ organisations but also other organisations that are LGBTI+ inclusive in Turkey.

We call on all international supporters to raise their voices and condemn this targeting of the Tarlabaşı Community Center, and call on the Turkish government to cease harassment of LGBTI+ activities and organisations, and guarantee equal access to the right to freedom of expression and freedom of association for all.

Share this post to show your support to LGBTI+ communities and all their allies in Turkey!

Tarlabaşı Toplum Merkezi İyi ki Varsın Tarlabaşı Toplum Merkezi

15/06/2026

Uzbekistan is prosecuting gay and bisexual men and trans women at a record rate.

From an average of 17 cases per year in 2021–2023, to 48 in 2024, to 71 cases in the first nine months of 2025 alone.

A series of coordinated raids in early 2026 resulted in at least 62 detentions and 34 criminal cases opened.

Those targeted face arrest, imprisonment, forced invasive examinations, and barriers to healthcare.

The UN has determined these examinations constitute torture.

This Pride Month, while many of us celebrate visibility and community, LGBTI people in Uzbekistan are living under active criminalisation, persecution and fear. Pride is also about solidarity, and solidarity means naming these injustices and demanding they end.

Together with ECOM, TGEU, EHRA and MPACT, we are calling for the repeal of Article 120 and an immediate end to forced examinations. We call on Uzbekistan's international partners, governments, donors, and international institutions to raise this in every relevant forum.

We stand with LGBTI people in Uzbekistan.

Read more in the comments 👇

12/06/2026

In the newest episode of our LGBTI activism podcast, we look at how our movements can deal with rising political and financial pressure by turning difficult conditions into collective strength.

ILGA-Europe board member Masen Davis, chats with activists and movement builders:
🎙️ Tamás Dombos of Háttér Society in Hungary.
🎙️ Claudia Bollwinkel joins us, from the philanthropic foundation Dreilinden in Germany.
🎙️ Antonija Stojanović of LORI in Croatia.
🎙️ Jabu Pereira, Senior Fellow at Equality Without Borders and founder of Iranti, an organisation focused on LGBTI rights across Africa.

Our guests talk about how to bring more people into the work how to work across different contexts and how to use limited resources in smarter and more connected ways.

The episode focuses on a simple question how do movements not only survive pressure but use it to become stronger.

Listen now 👉 https://smartlink.ausha.co/the-frontline/turning-crisis-into-power

08/06/2026

05/06/2026

Do you enjoy helping movements grow stronger?

ILGA-Europe is recruiting a Senior Programmes Officer (Temporary Cover) to support our movement development work across Europe and Central Asia.

The role combines strategy, grant-making, facilitation, learning and partnership-building. You’ll work closely with activists and organisations, accompany grantee partners, contribute to the implementation of the ILGA-Europe Racial Justice Fund, and help design activities focused on mobilisation, base-building and civic engagement.

We’re looking for someone who can quickly orient themselves in a new area of work, identify priorities, build trust with partners, and translate ideas and learning into practical action.

This is a temporary cover position guaranteed until 31 December 2026, with potential of longer-term continuation depending on organisational needs and funding.

Relocation to Brussels will not be required.

Applications close: 23 June, 10:00 CEST.

Start date: as soon as possible and not later than 1st week of September.
Salary: 4,748 EUR gross per month.

Full job description and application pack: https://bit.ly/4ahEYqz

Please share with anyone who might be a great fit.

05/06/2026

In the latest episode of The Frontline, we ask what it takes to defend rights in a political climate that’s becoming increasingly hostile across Europe and beyond.

LGBTI people and other marginalised communities are facing growing pressure as democratic protections are tested and, in some cases, rolled back. This isn’t isolated, it’s part of broader political shifts that demand urgent attention and response.

Host Micah Grzywnowicz (IPPF European Network / ILGA-Europe board) is joined by:
🎙️ Jolyon Maugham (Good Law Project)
🎙️ Eve Geddie (Amnesty International)
🎙️ Srishagon Abraham (Colored Qollective)
🎙️ Enes Hocaoğulları (Council of Europe youth delegate)

Together, they explore how movements can stay effective when institutions feel less stable, how to protect hard-won rights under pressure, and how solidarity can hold across struggles.

Listen now 👉 https://smartlink.ausha.co/the-frontline/defending-rights-in-hostile-times