LGBTQ+

Equality Dialogues with the European Political Families

EuroPride 2024 in Thessaloniki was a vibrant celebration of diversity and inclusivity, featuring impactful panel discussions organised by the Rainbow Platform of ALDE Party in partnership with Friedrich Naumann Foundation for East and Southeast Europe. Highlighting the dynamic strategies of liberal European political parties, this event served as a crucial platform for discussions on defending LGBT rights amidst rising right-wing voices.

Equality Dialogues

Newly elected MEP Ana Vasconcelos Martins from Portugal's Iniciativa Liberal represented the Rainbow Platform, ALDE, and Renew Europe in a panel alongside Marc Angel MEP from S&D and Kim van Sparrentak MEP from the Greens/EFA. Their first panel focused on defending LGBT freedoms and rights amidst the anticipated democratic backlash from the rise of right-wing voices in Europe. The MEPs emphasised the importance of gathering the support of political voices allied to the LGBT cause to support safeguards of the rights. These include, reinforcing LGBT rights as human rights embedded in our European values and including the defence of human rights including those of the LGBT community in the rule of law conditionality mechanism. Vasconcelos highlighted the importance of understanding the anxiety and fears of voters and ensuring LGBT rights are not perceived as an isolated issue but part of a broader political discourse. The liberal perspective condemning "cancel culture" as a polarising tool was also discussed. Commissioner for European Values, Margaritis Schinas, endorsed many of the points raised during the conference, which attracted around 500 attendees.

The Rainbow Platform served as a bridge to bring all political families together and have an open discussion with over 75 participants on the Equality strategy of the European Parliament and Commission over the past five years, as well as plans for continued progress in the new mandate. This dynamic conversation was made possible through the collaboration of the LGBTI InterGroup of the European Parliament, the Rainbow Rose of the Party of Socialists and Democrats, and the Alliance European Centre-Right LGBT+ Alliance of the European People’s Party. Panellists shared their insights on the current strategy, the recent European Parliament election results, and the path forward. Moderated by Luis Cano, the panel featured interventions from Anna Donath MEP (Rainbow Platform of ALDE - Renew Europe), Fredrik Saweståh (Alliance European Centre-Right LGBT+ Alliance of the EPP), and Dajana Bakic (Rainbow Rose of the Party of European Socialists). 

Despite these challenges, the newly elected MEPs expressed optimism about the future Parliament and Commission’s commitment to protecting and expanding LGBT rights. The co-chairs of the current LGBT Intergroup at the European Parliament, Marc Angel MEP (Party of European Socialists - Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats) and Kim van Sparrentak MEP (Greens–European Free Alliance), participated in a lively discussion with Ana Vasconcelos MEP (ALDE - Renew Europe) and Georgios Stamatis MP (Nea Demokratia - EPP). Stamatis mentioned on his intervention that the work that the Commission paved was key to facilitate the discussion at the Greek level when passing marriage equality legislation.

There have been many calls for the Commission to expand the scope of their equality strategy to deal with the backlash of the anti-gender rhetoric in many member states that led to the rise of right-wing parties threatening to push back the efforts made by the centrists parties in terms of LGBT rights. Thus, newly elected MEPs mentioned that there is a need to be critical in the upcoming hearings to new Commissioners to ensure that a stronger framework is built protecting conquered rights against any local political backlash.

Not only did we have panel discussions, but as well we premiered FNF’s documentary “Think Freedom: The Visible Man” took place, which gathered more than 50 participants. The film features Giorgi Tabagari, a Georgian civil and queer activist, amidst the current backdrop of Tbilisi Pride, which faced significant challenges due to constitutional amendments threatening LGBTQI expression rights in Georgia. Tabagari has worked for a number of local and international organisations across Europe, primarily focusing on the media, queer human rights, and EU affairs.  A discussion with the film protagonist followed the screening, offering insights into the struggles and resilience of the Georgian Queer community.

The documentary is part of the “Think Freedom” series by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, Regional Office for East and Southeast Europe. It embodies the core liberal principles of freedom, choice and responsibility. The overarching theme is the main characters‘ self-determination to pursue freedom by overcoming challenges in the shrinking spaces of their democracies. The heroes are inspiring freedom ambassadors and liberal multipliers from all walks of life from activism, human rights, civil society, politics, law, arts, and more.

The whole event was moderated by Luis Cano, a co-founder of the Rainbow Platform in partnership with VVD, D66, Centerpartiet and Nowoczesna. He works as ALDE Party’s Campaign Consultant for the 2024 elections. Besides working with Momentum Mozgalom in Hungary and several other other liberal parties, Luis has also experience with cross-party campaign learning platforms such as PartyParty and the Innovation in Politics Institute.

EuroPride

Participants and panellists also joined the vibrant Pride March on the last day of EuroPride, with approximately 25,000 attendees. This marked the third time the Rainbow Platform organised such an event at EuroPride and the second with the support of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom. These events are crucial in promoting liberal ideology, enhancing political dialogue, and uniting diverse actors to debate and drive progress.

Discover some highlights and vibes from EuroPride event and screening of Think Freedom.