Equality

The ALDE group has been campaigning for and sponsoring in the European Parliament initiatives to improve GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender) rights, to fight homophobia and discriminations based on sexual orientation, in Europe and in the world. The ALDE group is also the only parliamentary group in the EP to officially sponsor the participation of its Members to Gay Prides and Equality Events, through the project "ALDE 4 Equality". Many ALDE MEPs have taken part in the most problematic Gay Prides, and some of them have even been arrested.

The ALDE group stands in favour of:

• ensuring that GLBT people are not discriminated in everyday's life and in the enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms: any discrimination based on sexual orientation, for instance in holding demonstrations for equality (such as gay prides), is inadmissible. ALDE has taken a firm stance against threats to freedom of expression and demonstration when equality marches have been prohibited or not effectively protected by the authorities.
• strengthening EU anti-discrimination policy: the EU shall ensure that discriminations based on sexual orientation are prohibited not only in the field of employment as it is now in the EU on the basis of directive 2000/78/EC, but also in all other sectors (education, social security, healthcare, access to goods and services, housing, etc). ALDE has repeatedly requested the Commission to come up with proposals in this sense and to bring to Court those Member States that are not fulfilling current EU law requirements.
• fighting against homophobia in Europe, through educational measures, media and awareness campaigns and a European Year on Equality for all, as well as through the public condemnation of hate speech or incitement to hatred against GLBT people, notably when enacted by State representatives such as government Ministers. ALDE has notably requested the EU Council to adopt the Framework Decision on Racism and Xenophobia, which shall be enlarged to cover also homophobia, and has called upon the Commission to use the powers conferred to it by art. 6 TEU on human rights in the European Union.
• ensuring that the freedom of movement of persons and the principle of mutual recognition in the EU are also applied and guaranteed for same-sex couples, so to ensure that third country nationals that are in a same-sex longstanding relationship with a EU citizen have the right to follow the latter when moving to another Member State, as it currently happens for different-sex couples. ALDE has repeatedly criticised the current situation and asked for urgent remedies to this discrimination.
• the recognition by Member States of same-sex relationships, ranging co-habitation, to civil unions, civil partnerships, same-sex marriages. ALDE supports calls to Member States to take measures to overcome discriminations and inequalities and improve the legal situation of same-sex couples.

During this term, ALDE has concretely:

• animated the GLBT Intergroup in the European Parliament bringing together MEPs from different party groups, with Sophie In't Veld (ALDE MEP, D66/NL) being Vice-President of the Intergroup and taking part in the gay prides of Moscow, Warsaw, Riga, Amsterdam among others;
• promoted the participation of ALDE MEPs to gay prides, in the framework of the project "ALDE 4 Equality", which brought ALDE MEPS to the gay prides of (among others) Warsaw, Riga, Amsterdam, Rome, Tallinn, Chisinau and Moscow. Sophie In't Veld and Marco Cappato, Radical MEP of the ALDE group, collected more than 40 signatures of MEPs asking the Mayor of Moscow to allow the gay pride - but Cappato was arrested when he tried to hand it to the Mayor's offices during the Moscow gay pride (see the video here);
• organised an ALDE Conference on Gay Prides in the European Parliament on the 9th of April 2007, with the participation of LGBT NGOs representatives from EU and European countries;
• tabled resolutions on homophobia in Europe as well as on the increase in racist and homophobic violence in Europe, which led to EP resolutions on the same issues[1];
• requested the establishment of IDAHO (International Day Against Homophobia) in Member States, in the EU and at the UN level, and supported the organisation of the European Parliament conference on 17 May 2006 on this issue.
• promoted the protection of LGBT rights in the world, through the tabling of amendments and resolutions aimed at ensuring that the EU raises LGBT rights issues in the relations and discussions it holds with third countries, and supported initiatives at the UN level for ending persecution and discrimination based on sexual orientation.

ALDE initiated the following European Parliament Resolutions:

• European Parliament Resolution of January 18, 2006 homophobia in Europe
• European Parliament Resolution of June 15, 2006 on the increase in racist and homophobic violence in Europe
• European Parliament resolution of 26 April 2007 on homophobia in Europe

Below you can find a series of links concerning ALDE activities (events, press releases, etc) in the field of homophobia: