MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION BY COMMITTEE ON CIVIL LIBERTIES, JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS
A Prideful European Union: how should LGBTQIA+ rights be protected in Europe, whilst acknowledging and addressing public hostility and reservations of individual Member States?
Submitted by: Jet van Beekhoff, Alexander Bos, Charlotte Mauritz, Roosmarie Toornstra, Erdiz Tuna Ayata, Irena Schwartz, Sky Williams, Lars van der Ent (Chairperson, NL).
The European Youth Parliament,
- Alarmed about the rise in anti-LGBTQIA+ violence across the European Union,
- Deploring the fact that political groups increasingly fuel anti-LGBTQIA+ violence by using sexual and gender minorities as a scapegoat for domestic problems,
- Aware of homophobic and transphobic social media campaigns in Member States which spread misinformation and promote traditional values on behalf of foreign organisations,
- Noting with deep concern that little to no progress has been made regarding the lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ people,
- Concerned with the increase in discrimination in the European Union against LGBTQIA+ people in general, and transgender people in particular,
- Alarmed that only 10% of LGBTQIA+ people who experience hate-motivated harassment report the incidents to the authorities,
- Noting that Member States have disparate views on LGBTQIA+ rights and that laws and policies protecting sexual and gender minorities vary greatly per Member State,
- Conscious that no framework exists at EU-level which includes sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression as a bias motivation for hate crimes,
- Welcoming the first-ever LGBTIQ Strategy (2020-2025) presented by the European Commission;
- Invites national public prosecutors offices to take legal action against politicians who promote queerphobic rhetoric;
- Calls upon the European Commission to condemn queerphobic statements made by political organisations;
- Asks social media platforms to filter comments spreading queerphobia more strictly;
- Demands European Commission to debunk misinformation spread about LGBTQIA+ identities and people, as seen with COVID-19;
- Requests social media platforms to ban queerphobic accounts and enforce their rules about the elimination of reported comments more strictly;
- Urges the European Commission to increase the funding of pro-LGBTQIA+ organisations such as ILGA-Europe;
- Recommends Member States to create special departments within law enforcement authorities which specifically address the discrimination and harassment against LGBTQIA+ individuals;
- Suggests Member States to oblige law enforcement officers to do an inclusivity training;
- Encourages Member States to make education about LGBTQIA+ identities and issues mandatory in school;
- Proposes the European Commission to spread an educational campaign on LGBTQIA+ identities and issues, specifically hate crimes, reaching local authorities and all levels of society, paying special attention to elderly people and their social clubs;
- Urges EU institutions and local parliaments to address the issues of LGBTQIA+ people more frequently;
- Welcomes Member States to adopt legislation protecting LGBTQIA+ people against discrimination and harassment;
- Urgently reminds the European Commission to execute LGBTIQ Strategy (2020-2025).