The 17 of May is the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia. On 11 March, The European Parliament passed a resolution, initiated by the Renew Group, declaring the entire EU to be an “LGBTIQ Freedom Zone” – a symbolic response to Poland’s “LGBT free-zones”. President von der Leyen has made a commitment to promote awareness and legal protection of LGBTIQ individuals during her mandate. As well as increased funding and programmes, in its recently published first-ever LGBTIQ Equality Strategy, the European Commission aims to extend the list of ‘EU crimes’ (Article 83 TFEU) to cover hate crime and hate speech, including when targeted at LGBTIQ people.

How can we create an environment for LGBTIQ people to live their lives in freedom and tolerance? Will the EU Commission’s proposals suffice to achieve these goals? What initiatives should the private sector take to fight discrimination and foster an inclusive workplace, thus helping to put an end to violence and hate crimes against the LGBTIQ community?

Speakers include:
Bianca Nijhof, Workplace Pride’s Co-Chair
Ralf Gion Fröhlich, President, LGBTI Liberals of Europe

Moderated by Beatriz Rios, EU affairs reporter