Europe-wide comparison finds Scotland best for LGBTI equality

By The Press Association11th May 2016News ScotlandInequalities, LGBTQ+, News Scotland

Scotland remains the best country in Europe for LGBTI equality, according to a comparison of laws and policy.

The 2016 Rainbow Index, compiled by equality organisation ILGA-Europe, found the UK as a whole slipped from first to third place in the ranking of 49 European countries, with a score of 81%.

Scottish LGBTI charity the Equality Network said that if Scotland had been included separately in the rankings, it would have come out top with 90%, a slight drop from 92% last year.

Malta currently tops the list with a score of 88%, followed by Belgium on 82%.

The annual index measures progress in European countries on LGBTI equality against criteria including legal protections from discrimination in work and services, measures to tackle hate crime, rights and recognition for transgender and intersex people, and equality in family law including same-sex marriage and parenting rights.

The Equality Network said the UK as a whole had been “held back” by the failure of the Northern Ireland Assembly to introduce equal marriage.

The organisation welcomed Scotland’s high ranking, but called on the new Scottish Parliament to ensure continued progress.

Director Tim Hopkins said: “We congratulate Malta on rising from 11th place to top in the Rainbow Index in just two years. That happened in part because Malta overhauled their laws on transgender and intersex equality to international best practice standard. Scotland is still behind on that, although we score highly in other areas.

“All the parties elected to the new Scottish Parliament session had manifesto commitments to review and reform Scotland’s laws on transgender people. The SNP, Labour, Greens and Lib Dems – that’s 98 of the Parliament’s 129 MSPs – were elected on more specific manifesto commitments that would bring our trans laws up to international best practice.

“If the Scottish Government and Parliament deliver on those commitments, and also make progress on intersex equality, Scotland will retain its place amongst the standard bearers for LGBTI equality.”

ILGA-Europe executive director Evelyne Paradis added: “The countries who are on this upward curve tend to be the ones who have protected people from discrimination on grounds of gender identity, or legislated to protect the bodily integrity of intersex people and who have ingrained this change in everyday measures such as equality action plans.”

Both organisations warned that law and policy are only part of the picture, with prejudice, discrimination and hate crime still apparent.

In Scotland there were 841 homophobic or biphobic hate crimes reported by police to prosecutors in 2014-15, and 21 transphobic hate crimes.

Angela Crawley MP, the SNP spokeswoman for women, children and equalities at Westminster, said: “The fact that Scotland continues to be rated the best country in Europe for LGBTI equality is welcome recognition for the progress we are making to ensure Scotland is a fair and equal country for everyone.

“The SNP is committed to equality and social justice for all. We were proud to pass Scotland’s progressive equal marriage and hate crime laws, but we know that the job of achieving full equality is not yet done.”

John Finnie MSP, justice spokesman for the Scottish Greens, said: “Scotland should be proud of its actions on equalities and human rights but we cannot rest.

“We need to review legislation and services to identify inequalities for LGBTI+ couples and make civil partnerships open to all.

“We must also continue to take action to end discrimination in the workplace. Greens will work with others in Scotland’s new parliament to keep pushing in a positive direction.”