Progress nevertheless

More LGBTIQ people affected by harassment

More than half of LGBTIQ people have been harassed in the past year.(Bild: olezzo - stock.adobe.com)

LGBTIQ people in Europe are confronted with violence, harassment and bullying more frequently than in the past. However, people are more open about their own sexual identity. Overall, however, there are "signs of hesitant progress".

The survey* was aimed at lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) people aged 15 and over.

More than half of those surveyed stated that they had been harassed in the past year. In the last survey in 2019, only a third had responded accordingly. According to the survey, two out of three people had been bullied at school. In 2019, half said the same. One in ten had experienced violence. There was a slight increase here compared to 2019.

"Discrimination is decreasing, but at a high level"
More than half are open about their sexual orientation and gender identity. However, many would avoid holding hands in public out of fear. "Although discrimination against LGBTIQ people is slowly decreasing, it remains at a high level," the FRA said. Schools, authorities and healthcare facilities are handling the issue better.

60 percent have experienced harassment in Austria
In Austria, the openness of LGBTIQ people is higher than the European average. Here, 60 percent say they are open about their own identity. In the EU as a whole, the figure is 51 percent. However, harassment also occurs more frequently in Austria than on average in the study. 60 percent (compared to 54 percent in Europe) state that they have experienced this.

*Online survey of more than 100,000 people aged 15 and over by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA). Between June and August 2023, people from the 27 EU countries plus Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia took part. They answered questions about their own experiences, rights and topics such as education and health.