ILGA-Europe Launches the Rainbow Europe Map
ILGA-Europe published the first Rainbow Europe Map, annually ranking 49 European countries on a 0–100% scale measuring legal and policy respect for LGBTQI+ human rights. Categories assessed include equality and non-discrimination, family rights, hate crime and hate speech protections, legal gender recognition, intersex bodily integrity, civil society space, and asylum. Published each year around 17 May (IDAHOBIT), the Rainbow Map has become a vital benchmarking tool. Malta has topped the ranking for ten consecutive years, while the UK dropped from first place in 2015 to 22nd, falling 40 percentage points from its peak of 86%.
Impact & Significance
The Rainbow Map created a transparent, evidence-based league table that drives policy competition between European states, providing advocates with a powerful tool to hold governments accountable and push for legislative improvements.
Reference Record
- Date
- 17 May 2009
- Era
- 2000-2009
- Sources
- 1
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