ETUC statement on International Day Against Homophobia

LGBT workers still suffer from discrimination in the world of work and in the society due to their sexual orientation.

In times of Covid, as in other crises, these rights are even more under threat, due to lack of legislative protection and underrepresentation in workplaces and society in general.

The ETUC and its affiliates, with our Madrid declaration https://www.etuc.org/en/document/madrid-declaration-rights-lgbtqi-people-workplace  affirm that gender rights, including LGBT rights are human rights and trade union rights, and should not be undermined under any circumstance.

The ETUC calls on all EU member states to urgently ratify the Istanbul Convention. Promoted by the Council of Europe, the Istanbul Convention aims at preventing and combating gender-based violence especially but not only against women and is the most far-reaching international treaty to address this serious form of human rights violation.

The Istanbul convention also obliges signatory member states to give asylum to refugees persecuted for their sexual orientation and gender-based reasons. Too many EU member states still oppose the ratification on the ground of an alleged opening to “illegal immigration”.

The ETUC calls on the EU and the Council to make gender-based rights concrete and support and promote the ratification process across the whole EU, as planned in the 2020-2024 Gender Equality Strategy.

The ETUC will continue to support the fight for equal treatment and non- discrimination, respect and dignity, and promote the demand for the formal recognition of civil rights in national legislation wherever necessary, and through collective agreements, on same-sex parenthood and children’s rights.