The Czech Republic protects LGBT+ people worse than Hungary and Slovakia, analysis shows. We lack laws. Hate killed the most LGBT+ people in Europe in 10 years last year
Violence against LGBT+ people in Europe is on the rise. Last year saw the highest number of deaths due to hate crimes in a decade. That's according to an analysis produced each year by ILGA Europe, an independent, non-governmental and non-profit international organisation that brings together more than 700 other LGBT+ NGOs from 54 countries in Europe and Central Asia. Its Annual Review reports on legal, political and social developments in the region. The report tracks positive and negative trends in relation to LGBT+ equality and human rights.
Escalating violence is the result of systemic hatred. It also affects 'progressive' countries
The fact that 2022 brought the most violence against LGBT+ people is not a coincidence, but the result of a long-term trend. Brutal planned murders as well as suicides of queer people are due to the growing and spreading hateful rhetoric from politicians, representatives of religious groups, right-wing organisations and also from the media.
ILGA Europe has been analysing LGBT+ status for 12 years and in that time has found that the phenomenon of growing queerphobic rhetoric and antipathy towards LGBT+ people is driven and subsequently exploited by political power. The consequence is an unprecedented rise in attacks on LGBT+ people with the aim of killing or otherwise harming them. Terrorist attacks outside LGBT+ bars in Norway and Slovakia are the tip of the iceberg. Indeed, murders and suicides are on the rise across Europe, even in countries that are perceived to be progressively accepting of LGBT+ people.
It is not enough to react, hate must be actively opposed
"At ILGA Europe we have been saying for years that hateful rhetoric in all its forms escalates into actual physical violence. This year we have seen that violence is increasingly planned and increasingly fatal. It leaves LGBT+ people in Europe with a sense of fear. We have seen proof that hateful rhetoric is not just the words of minority leaders and wannabe autocrats, but a real issue with disastrous consequences for people and communities," says Evelyne Paradis, Executive Director of ILGA Europe.
Although the courts are responding to the rising attacks, and in several countries the number of punishments against perpetrators has increased, simply reacting to the attacks that have taken place is not enough, Paradis urges: "We are getting better at responding to the consequences [of hate], but we need to focus on stopping hateful rhetoric in all its forms. Many European politicians have reacted to the LGBT+ murders with horror, and while a clear statement of solidarity is always needed, this does not touch the root of the problem, which is the rise in the use of hate against LGBT+ people to gain political power. Our leaders must find a way to proactively combat the rise of hateful rhetoric, rather than just react to its effects."
The Czech Republic is well behind the middle
It is precisely because of the lack of protection against hate speech, but not only because of it, that the Czech Republic ranked as low as 32nd (score 26%) out of 49 countries in ILGA Europe's Annual Review. Even homophobic Hungary (30th position) and Slovakia (26th position) were "outperformed". Although the Czech Republic may consider itself an accepting or at least tolerant country, according to the report, we have no laws that explicitly sanction violence and hate speech motivated by sexual orientation, gender identity or intersex body constitution.
The best political and legal situation for LGBT+ people is in Malta (1st position, score 93%), Denmark (2nd, 74%) and Belgium (3rd, 72%). Conversely, the worst performers in the study region are Azerbaijan (49th, 2%), Turkey (48th, 4%) and Armenia (47th, 8%).
ILGA Europe believes that the situation of LGBT+ people in the Czech Republic would be improved if equal marriage were introduced and legislation also allowed same-sex couples to adopt. The legal setting for official sex change also needs to be changed so that it is transparent, based on self-determination and does not have coercive requirements such as forced sterilisation/castration.
Are we looking at better times?
Maybe. Czech lawmakers are now facing yet another call to do something about the violence and hatred in their country. This is the Together Against Hate initiative, which was created after the homophobic terrorist attack outside the Slovak bar Tepláreň. In the form of an open letter signed by 23 organisations and over 23,000 people, the group is demanding three points that will improve the legal situation of LGBT+ people in our country:
- Amend the Criminal Code to ensure that LGBT+ people, as one of the groups at risk of prejudicial crime, receive exactly the same protection as other groups already specifically protected by the Criminal Code.
- Fast-track the passage of the Marriage for All Couples Bill, which is before the Chamber of Deputies.
- Passage of legislation to stop the mandatory disabling of the reproductive function (castration) of trans people for the purposes of official sex reassignment.
