The Press Release of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights of Hungary on the International Day against Homophobia

Today, it is commemorated in a number of countries of the world that the World Health Organisation (WHO) removed homosexuality from the list of mental disorders just 24 years ago, on 17 May 1990, freeing this way the sexual minorities of the stigma of an illness. This International Day conveys the idea of equality of human dignity, being a priority in all democratic states. All human beings are entitled to the basic right of human dignity without distinction, independently of skin colour, age, sex, health condition, sexual orientation or just gender identity. Respect for human rights is part of the European values system, and at the same time, it is also a fundamental condition for the creation of a tolerant and inclusive society.

The last decades have witnessed the development of the legal and institutional framework against discrimination at the level of both the European Union and the member states. However, the report of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, published in 2013, indicates a worrying tendency: In 2012, nearly half of the respondents experienced discrimination on the grounds of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Moreover, a quarter of the respondents was even physically attacked or threatened as well. The persons discriminated or injured, however, only rarely turned to the authorities and state organs, for they did not trust in the efficient enforcement of their rights. It is an important message to all state institutions: there is still much work to do, both for creating a more inclusive society and for winning LGBT people's confidence in order to enable the principle of equal dignity to become the practice of everyday life.