Council of Europe finds gaps in gender-identity hate-speech protection
Europe
A new Council of Europe report finds uneven criminal-law protection against hate speech targeting LGBTI people. It says 18 member states explicitly cover gender identity, compared with 35 covering sexual orientation; six cover gender expression, and only three explicitly cover every sexual-orientation, gender-identity, gender-expression, and sex-characteristics ground.
The report also describes under-reporting, weak incident data, and the chilling effect of hateful speech on public participation. It recommends clearer legal coverage, better recording, specialist police and prosecutors, accessible victim support, and sustained civil-society funding.
The report documents risks that trans people face and offers a basis for demanding effective protection. Its recommendations are not enacted reforms. The aggregate figures do not identify a new legal change in any one country, so no country score or policy status changes from this report alone.
Read the Council of Europe hate-speech report announcement.