Professionally speaking: challenges to achieving equality for LGBT people

Summary:

The fundamental rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people are often not respected across the EU. Public officials and other professionals in education, healthcare and law enforcement are entrusted with the duty to ensure that everyone’s fundamental rights are protected and promoted.

This report examines the drivers and barriers encountered by such frontline officers when doing their work. Drawing on extensive interviews with public officials, teachers, doctors, nurses and law enforcement officers in 19 EU Member States, it analyses their views and experiences, identifying persisting hurdles – such as perceptions of homosexuality as a pathological condition – and encouraging trends – including considerable commitment to improve the situation. In this way, this report provides new evidence on an under-researched topic, namely the efforts of public officials and other professionals in education, healthcare and law enforcement to fulfil the rights of LGBT people.

• Alternative Source 1
• Alternative Source 2

News

EUObserver, 16.03.16: Homosexuality still seen as a disease in parts of EU https://euobserver.com/lgbti/132710

EurActiv, 21.03.16: Many European doctors still think homosexuality is a disease http://www.euractiv.com/section/health-consumers/news/many-european-doctors-still-think-homosexuality-is-a-disease/

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Commentary and Analysis

European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights: Report, 2016: Professionally speaking: challenges to achieving equality for LGBT people http://fra.europa.eu/sites/default/files/fra_uploads/fra-2016-lgbt-public-officials_en.pdf

FRA: Theme: LGBTI http://fra.europa.eu/en/theme/lgbti

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