Remarks by Commissioner Lahbib on LGBTIQ+ Equality Strategy

I want to dedicate this new LGBTIQ+ Strategy to someone special.

Moustapha — a boy I knew at school, when we were twelve.

He was kind, gentle, and sensitive. He loved being around us girls, listening to our stories, making us laugh.

But some could not accept that.

One day, we found him bleeding in a corner of the playground. Beaten — just because he was different.

After that, school became a nightmare. The streets too. Even home was no longer safe — all because he was simply himself.

So I dedicate this Strategy to him — and to everyone who has the courage to be themselves.

To the thousands who marched in Pécs this weekend, despite the ban…

To the hundreds of thousands who filled the streets of Budapest last summer...

And to the millions across Europe who keep defending one simple truth: love is love — and equality is for everyone

Yes, we have made progress.

Social acceptance has grown. LGBTIQ+ people are more open about themselves.

But progress is fragile. Hate-motivated harassment continues to rise.

Too many are still bullied — at school, online, and in their communities.

Our Union has a clear duty: to protect people like Moustafa. To protect everyone who is different.

Because some still believe that being different is a sickness.

That is why this new strategy focuses on three areas — starting with protecting, followed by empowering and engaging.

Protecting

First, we must protect LGBTIQ+ people from all violence.

Conversion practices are not therapy. They do harm. They can cause serious physical and mental damage. And above all, they are an attack on a person's dignity.

The numbers are shocking.

One in four LGBTIQ+ people — and almost half of all trans men and women — have experienced conversion practices, including physical and sexual violence, verbal abuse, and humiliation.

This must stop.

We have heard the strong voices from civil society and from citizens — including through the European Citizens' Initiative against conversion practices.

And we will work with Member States, in full respect of their competences, to end these harmful practices.

We must also do better at tackling hate — offline and online. Online hate is a poison that does not stay online — it fuels violence in the real world.

And sadly, despite growing acceptance of LGBTIQ+ people, violence and hate crimes are still rising.

That's why we are working to strengthen EU law — to better fight incitement to hatred and violence, especially online.

We will also set up a new knowledge hub on illegal hate crimes online.

It will help put into action our 2025 Code of Conduct on hate speech online — already signed by all major social media platforms.

Empowering

The second focus of this Strategy is empowerment — making sure LGBTIQ+ people can live free and equal in all areas of life.

Equal access to healthcare and social protection, equal access to education, and equal access to housing, goods and services.

This is why the Equal Treatment Directive matters. The Commission has kept it on the table for further political discussion.

And I want to be clear: I am personally committed to making progress on this.

Diversity is not a burden — it is a great power. Fuel for innovation, creativity, and Europe's competitiveness.

When people can be themselves at work, they give their best — their ideas, their talents. And that's good for business.

Fair hiring is smart hiring.

So the Commission will present guidance on diversity and inclusion policies — especially in hiring — working with the EU Platform Diversity Charters.

Finally, we will empower LGBTIQ+ people through stronger equality bodies.

This is important because equality bodies are the bridge between the law and people's daily lives. When someone faces discrimination, this is where they turn for concrete support.

The Commission has already adopted two landmark Directives setting standards for these bodies.

And next year, we will go further — with Implementing Acts that set clear indicators on their powers, resources, independence, and effectiveness.

Engaging

And the third focus of this Strategy is engagement — bringing the whole of society on board, together with Member States.

To back this up, the Commission has more than doubled funding for civil society organisations and stakeholders working on equality and fundamental rights — to 3.6 billion euros. This is for the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values strand in the new AgoraEU programme of the next EU budget.

We will also launch a new LGBTIQ+ Policy Forum — a space for open dialogue with civil society, social partners, and academia.

We need national action too. So far, 13 Member States have adopted national LGBTIQ+ equality strategies. But it's not enough. The rest must follow.

The Commission calls on all Member States to adopt national LGBTIQ+ equality strategies, and we are ready to support them. National action complements and reinforces EU action.

We also need good, reliable data.

It's the only way to design and monitor effective equality policies — especially when people face more than one form of discrimination.

That's why we will propose a Recommendation to improve how equality data is collected, analysed, and used.

Conclusion

In recent years, we have fought hard for the freedom of

LGBTIQ+ people.

Now we are going further — to build a Union that is more just, equal, and free for all.

LGBTIQ+ equality is not just the fight of one community — it is everyone's fight.

Because Europe without LGBTIQ+ people would not be Europe.

We owe it to Moustafa and to every child like him. No one must ever be told they are wrong for being themselves.

Diversity and equality — this is Europe's power.

Thank you