Joint Statement by the ETUC and ILGA-Europe
The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and ILGA-Europe stand united in defending the rights and freedoms of LGBTIQ people and workers across Europe.
Our movements are bound by a shared commitment to equality, social justice, and democratic freedoms—principles that are increasingly under threat.
The ban on Budapest Pride is not just an attack on LGBTIQ people—it’s an attack on democracy, freedom of assembly, and the right to organise.
Both our movements are rooted in the struggle for dignity, equality, and justice. We know that an attack on one is an attack on all. The banning of Pride marches and the growing repression of those who defend LGBTIQ equality are part of the same anti-democratic playbook that targets workers and their trade unions.
We stand in resistance in the face of attempts to divide, silence, and criminalise all those who stand for human rights. Because we know how to fight back together: Just as Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners stood with striking workers in the UK in 1984, and the miners marched proudly alongside LGBTIQ people at London Pride in 1985. That legacy of solidarity lives on today.
The European Trade Union movement will proudly join the Budapest Pride on 28 June 2025.
We call on the European Union to steadfastly defend the right to freedom of assembly by using all tools at its disposal and clearly condemn any breaches to fundamental rights, such as the right to freedom of assembly.
We call on the European Commission to deliver an ambitious LGBTIQ strategy 2026–2030 that rises to the challenge of protecting fundamental rights of LGBTIQ people at a time of mounting threats both outside and within the EU.
This Pride Month, we send a clear message: to every LGBTIQ worker and activist across Europe—you are not alone. LGBTI rights are workers’ rights. No one should face hate or exclusion for who they are or whom they love – not at work, nor on the streets.
