In a new report launched in the European Parliament today, the EU’s Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) highlights that prevailing negative attitudes towards LGBT people endanger their fundamental rights and hamper efforts to counter discrimination and hate crime.
The report analyses the views and attitudes of the ‘duty bearers’ towards LGBT persons in the field of law enforcement, education and healthcare.
Some of the key findings that emerged that can be found in the ‘Professionally speaking: challenges to achieving equality for LGBT people’ report include:
Reacting to the report, LGBTI Intergroup Vice Chair Fabio Massimo Castaldo MEP, said: “Why do some doctors still believe homosexuality is a disease? Why are schools too often still unsafe places for LGBTI people?”
“This report analyses very thoroughly the difficulties LGBT people may face when it comes to access to basic institutions in everyday life: education, healthcare and police. We need to work much harder to ensure that the rights to education, to healthcare and fair treatment is equally enjoyed by all.”
Sirpa Pietikäinen MEP, also Vice-Chair of the Intergroup on LGBTI Rights, added: “The results of this report are a good reminder that despite improvements in the legal situation, we are not there. Prejudice, discrimination and violence still hold back LGBTI people from accessing school, hospitals and the police.”
“I call on the EU and its Member States to take this report to the heart, and use it systematically to act on their duty to deliver high quality service to end discrimination and hate crime many LGBT people have faced.”
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