Rollback of LGBTQIA+ rights a dangerous portent in the fight for equalities

Each year, the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association Europe publishes their ‘Rainbow Map’ as a snapshot of LGBTQIA+ rights across Europe. A decade ago, the UK was top of the leaderboard for LGBTQIA+ rights in Europe, and today we don’t even make the top 20. In 2025, the UK dropped a further six places, falling to 22nd out of 45 countries. This is deeply concerning, not just for our LGBTQIA+ communities but for society as a whole.

This data offers an inkling of how members of the LGBTQIA+ community are being scapegoated and subjected to violence. Over 22,000 LGBTQIA+ people in the UK reported being subjected to hate crimes in 2023/24, up from 18,500 in 2020/21. Anti-transgender hate crimes now account for 3 percent of all hate crimes recorded, up from 1 percent a decade ago – and so many of course go unreported.

Across Europe, the increase in harmful rhetoric from politicians is another deeply distressing factor for our LGBTQIA+ friends and allies – and for anyone who believes in a just and inclusive society.

Inclusion and allyship are not just abstract words, and that is why Oxfam recognises the importance of Pride month, supporting LGBTQIA+ individuals around the world, on our staff and among our volunteers. This is integral to what we do and who we are. 

Our LGBTQIA+ friends, family and colleagues have worked so hard and courageously to win the right to simply be themselves; without fear and without exception. At Oxfam, our LGBTQIA+ colleagues and members of our Pride Network remain resolutely at the forefront of this ongoing struggle. Their rights are imperilled, and their continued erosion around the world will detrimentally impact us all. The rights of everyone must be upheld if society is to prosper and move forward. This is not then a moment for LGBTQIA+ communities and their many allies to give way but, rather, to hold their ground with respect and dignity. The freedoms afforded to any community or group of people in society should be cherished and protected.

Here in the UK, we note with significant concern how even an organisation like the EHRC – which we would reasonably expect to be the embodiment of fairness and inclusivity – so quickly risks prejudicing our trans friends and family with decisions that many of us consider ill-conceived. To the extent that Liberty is preparing a legal action against the principal public body responsible for equality and human rights. That risk of hugely detrimental impacts on so many lives is only compounded by the feeling among many in the LGBTQIA+ community of being shut out of conversations about their own rights and freedoms. As these risks grow, our commitment to a fairer world and entrenching equality must grow too. 

In many places it is also a common misconception that LGBTQIA+ communities enjoy universal equality. In times of peace and crisis, they remain one of the most vulnerable groups, facing disproportionate risks of violence and stigma, discrimination and marginalisation. Even in 2025, at least 65 countries criminalise LGBTQIA+ relationships.  While one in three women and girls worldwide will experience physical or sexual violence during their lifetime – a figure that continues to shock - transgender people are over four times more likely than their cis-gender peers to be victims of violent crime. This is one more reason why this Pride month, Oxfam continues to work in solidarity with others to overcome all forms of oppression and gender-based violence.