Earlier today, the European Parliament passed a motion declaring the entirety of the EU’s territory as an ‘LGBTIQ Freedom Zone’ with 72% of the Parliament voting in favour. This was part of a resolution created by the LGBTI parliamentary group, of which Maltese MEP Cyprus Engerer was a primary negotiator. In a speech made in plenary, Engerer proclaimed “Whether we are trans, bi, or gay, we are here to stay!”
The resolution responds to the prejudice of the LGBT community in Poland, where 100 zones were declared as free from LGBTIQ ideology, and says that the fundamental rights of LGBTI people have been “severely hindered” in countries like Hungary, which recently banned legal recognition for transgender and intersex persons. This resolution is also intended to put pressure on countries where “backlash against LGBTIQ people is often coupled with a broader deterioration in the situation of democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights,” according to the resolution’s text .
EP Vice-President Roberta Metsola had also said “Today we are here to tell all those in the LGBTIQ community that this is your Europe too. To tell all those parents worried about the safety of their LGBTIQ children, that we have their back. To tell every girl and boy that in this Europe, you can be whoever you want to be, wherever you want to be – and our Union – and this House – will protect that right. To tell those struggling that you do not have to ‘adjust yourself to injustice’.”
ESO - European Studies Organisation 