On the occasion of International Human Rights Day...

To draw attention to the legal and social problems LGBT families and their children experience in Europe, ILGA-Europe in cooperation with the European Parliament’s LGBT Rights Intergroup and Hélèn Goudin, Member of the European Parliament, today launches an exhibition of 12 families posters at the European Parliament entitled “Different Families, Same Love”. The 12 posters highlight the challenges and issues LGBT families and their children face because of the lack of legal recognition, as well as the positive developments at European level advancing the legal situation for LGBT families and their children.

On the same day, ILGA-Europe launches a report “The Rights of Children Raised in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgender Families: A European Perspective”. This report documents the existing framework of legal protection of the rights of children in LGBT families at European level, analyses the many gaps in their protection, and makes recommendations for addressing these. The report will be used to raise awareness more generally around this issue at European level.

Patricia Prendiville, Executive Director of ILGA-Europe, said:

“Today when the world marks International Human Rights Day, we must remember that in reality there are many adults and their children across Europe who are still denied the legal recognition of their families. Their relationships based on love and care are still not considered valuable or equally respected. Most shockingly, in many European countries, children in LGBT families are not able to establish a legal link with their factual parents and face discrimination on the grounds of their birth status or the sexual orientation/gender identity of their parents.

We hope that today’s exhibition at the European Parliament and our new report which specifically looks at the rights of children in LGBT families, will serve as yet another eye opener to European politicians and will encourage them to take a pro-active and strong stance toward the elimination of all forms of discrimination against LGBT families and their children”.

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For more information please contact
Juris Lavrikovs at + 32 2 609 54 16 / + 32 496 708 375

Notes for editors:
(1) ILGA-Europe is the European Region of the International Lesbian and Gay Association and works for equality and human rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Europe: www.ilga-europe.org
(2) Flyer about the posters exhibition at the European Parliament is provided below.
(3) The “The Rights of Children Raised in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgender Families: A European Perspective” report is available in PDF format on our website:
www.ilga-europe.org/europe/publications/non_periodical