Minister for Equality, Employment, Culture and Tourism, the Hon Christian Santos GMD MP, has attended the IDAHOT+ Forum in Copenhagen together with the Ministry of Equality’s Policy Development Officer, Marlene Dalli.

The Forum is an annual international gathering that brings together Ministers, policymakers, equality bodies, civil society organisations and human rights advocates from across Europe to discuss current challenges and future priorities relating to LGBTI equality. This year’s theme, “Pushing for Progress: Addressing Challenges and Shaping the Future of LGBTI Equality in Europe”, focused on strengthening protections, combating discrimination and sharing best practices in the advancement of equality and inclusion.

The Forum is co-hosted by the Government of Denmark, the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Council of Europe to mark the International Day Against Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Biphobia, Transphobia and Intersexphobia (IDAHOT+) which is marked annually on 17th May.

Gibraltar continues to uphold a legal framework that protects the rights and dignity of LGBT persons. Successive legislative reforms introduced by this Government have strengthened these protections. This strong legislative commitment has included:

• The Crimes Act 2011, which criminalises hatred and harassment on the grounds of sexual orientation.
• The Civil Partnership Act 2014, which allows couples to formally register their relationships through civil partnership.
• The Equal Opportunities Act 2006 (Amendment) Regulations 2015, which extended protections under the Equal Opportunities Act to transgender persons.
• Amendments to the Civil Marriage Act in 2016, allowing civil marriage between couples of the same sex.

Further legislative reforms are also progressing, including provisions relating to conversion practices and transgender hate crime protections (through amendments to the Crimes Act), which are expected to proceed to Parliament next month.

While these developments represent significant progress locally, it is important to recognise that same-sex relationships and marriages continue to face legal and social barriers in many parts of the world.

Minister for Equality, the Hon Christian Santos GMD MP, said: “Attending the IDAHOT+ Forum in Copenhagen has also provided an important opportunity to engage directly with Ministers, equality experts and organisations from across Europe on the challenges that continue to affect LGBTI persons internationally.

It has been valuable to hear about the experiences, policies and initiatives being developed elsewhere, while also being able to highlight Gibraltar’s own progress in this area. Our Government’s commitment remains clear: to continue building a society where all persons feel safe, valued and protected under the law”.

Anybody who believes that they have experienced abuse because of their sexual orientation or gender identity is encouraged to contact the Royal Gibraltar Police on 200 72500 or call 999 in an emergency.