On this International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, we reaffirm our belief that the rights of LGBTI+ people are human rights – universal, inalienable, and non-negotiable.

We know that right now, in the UK, many people are fearful and worried.

Earlier this year, we submitted evidence to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR), highlighting the barriers and inequalities faced by LGBTI+ people across the UK.  

In uncertain and challenging times it important to highlight that, as a result of strong evidence and advocacy from UK civil society, the Committee’s concluding observations on the UK, for the first time, directly addressed the economic, social and cultural rights violations being experienced by LGBTI+ people.

These included the following: 

The Committee recommends that the State Party:

31 (c) Enhance gender-responsive budgeting to guarantee women’s equal access to employment, social security, healthcare, education and decision-making roles in both the public and private sectors, with targeted measures for women with disabilities, women from ethnic minorities, including Gypsies, Roma and Travellers, women of African, Asian and Arab descent, women members of Jewish, Muslim and Hindu communities, migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking women and lesbian, bisexual, intersex and transgender women.

35 (e) Enhance protections against discrimination in employment and occupation, including based on ethnicity and gender identity, and reinforce measures against harassment, including sexual harassment, with effective reporting and redress mechanisms.

45 (a) [Sic] Develop or enhance measures to address the multidimensional determinants of poverty, particularly in Northern Ireland, by focusing on poverty eradication through clear, measurable targets, paying particular attention to groups disproportionately affected, including migrants, ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities, female-headed households and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons, in the regions and cities most affected and ensure sufficient resources for effective monitoring and implementation;

51 (a) Strengthen measures to ensure universal health coverage in practice by increasing resources for the National Health Service, securing sufficient qualified medical staff, ensuring access to adequate medical equipment and infrastructure, reducing waiting times, improving health services in remote and rural areas and removing stigma and informational and technological barriers to access to health for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, undocumented migrants and asylum-seekers and to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons in relation to gender identity-related healthcare, particularly in Scotland, guided by the Committee’s general comment No. 14 (2000) on the right to the highest attainable standard of health;

59 ( c) Ensure non-discrimination in cultural participation and sports, particularly based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and guarantee that all individuals, including transgender persons, are supported in sports participation, in line with the principles of reasonableness, proportionality and equality;

We are committed to holding the UK Government accountable for implementing the Committee’s recommendations so we can work towards the full realisation of rights.

On this day, and every day, we stand in our values and continue to advocate, amplify, and act — until every one of us, can live in dignity, safety, and freedom.

Background image by Twoolw (Sanja Mihovilovic)