ILGA Europe has released its annual Rainbow Map ranking, with Spain taking the top spot for the first time, overtaking Malta after a decade-long lead. The index compares laws and policies affecting LGBTQ+ people across 49 countries in Europe and Central Asia.

Katrin Hugendubel, Deputy Director of ILGA Europe, told DW that Spain's rise demonstrates what is possible when governments make a deliberate choice to advance equality. The left-wing government of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has enacted new equality laws, national action plans, an independent equal treatment authority, and depathologization of trans identities in healthcare.

However, Remy Bonny, head of the Brussels-based LGBTQ+ advocacy group Forbidden Colours, is more cautious: "Over the last years, there has been a backlash on LGBTQ+ rights everywhere in Europe." He warns that even countries making progress remain vulnerable, pointing to Spain where far-right party Vox and conservative Partido Popular have gained ground.

At the bottom of the ranking are Armenia, Belarus, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Russia. Turkey continues to ban Pride events, Belarus has adopted an anti-LGBTQ+ propaganda law similar to Russia's, and Slovakia has made it impossible for trans people to legally change their gender.

Hugendubel said trans rights have become one of the main battlegrounds in this year's map. Anti-trans narratives spread easily due to low public knowledge and the use of fear to divide societies.

Bonny points to Hungary under Viktor Orban as an example: "They start with one minority group, then they take the rights of everyone." He wants the European Commission to take stronger action when member states ignore court rulings or roll back LGBTQ+ protections.

Both analysts stress that the stakes go beyond the ranking. The question is whether governments are willing to protect minority rights not only on paper but also in daily life. For them, this is one of the clearest tests of what a liberal democracy should stand for.

Source: www.dw.com