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Background

Deeply-embedded homophobic and transphobic attitudes, often combined with a lack of adequate legal protection against discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, expose many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) people of all ages and in all regions of the world to egregious violations of their human rights.

The intersection with racial discrimination, on the grounds of race, color, descent, national or ethnic origin, makes LGBTQI+ people even more vulnerable to discrimination and hate-motivated violence. Several international instruments and human rights mechanisms explicitly recognize the impact of intersecting forms of discrimination on the enjoyment of human rights.

The many faces of discrimination against LGBTQI+

LGBTQI+ people are discriminated against in the labour market, in schools and in hospitals, mistreated and disowned by their own families. They are singled out for physical attack ¨C beaten, sexually assaulted, tortured and killed.

In some 77 countries, discriminatory laws criminalize private, consensual same-sex relationships ¨C exposing individuals to the risk of arrest, prosecution, imprisonment ¡ª even, in at least five countries, the death penalty.

Recent advances

In recent years, many States have made a determined effort to strengthen human rights protection for LGBT people. An array of new laws has been adopted ¨C including laws banning discrimination, penalizing homophobic and transphobic hate crimes, granting recognition of same-sex relationships, and making it easier for transgender individuals to obtain official documents that reflect their preferred gender.

Training programmes have been developed for police, prison staff, teachers, social workers and other personnel, and anti-bullying initiatives have been implemented in many schools.