Despite some positive developments, many LGBTI people in the European Union (EU) still feel that they need to hide who they truly are to avoid discrimination, hate or even violence.
The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights have published their findings from their 2019 survey on LGBTI people in the EU and North Macedonia and Serbia, in May 2020.
The report finds:
- LGBTI people aged 15 to 17 experience more harassment than their older peers.
- Almost half of them (48%) say someone supported, defended or protected them and their rights as LBBTI people at school. This support drops to 33% for people aged 18 to 24 and to 7% for those 40 and over
- Lesbian women are the most likely to be open about being LGBTI, including at school. However, they still suffer significant discrimination. Over half of them are still afraid to hold hands with their partners for fear of being assaulted – compared to over two thirds of gay men.
- Part-time working is a major driver of the gender gap, which stands at 17.3% for all employees and means that women, on average, earn 43% of less than men.