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Once hailed as a trailblazer for LGBTQ+ rights in Europe, the UK has slid to 22nd place in the latest ILGA-Europe<\/em> rankings \u2013 a dramatic fall from its number one spot just a decade ago. <\/p>\n The Rainbow Europe Map and Index<\/a> \u2013 published annually by ILGA-Europe \u2013 evaluates the legal and policy landscape for LGBTQ+ people across 49 European countries. This year, the UK scored just 46%, making it the second-worst performer in western Europe and Scandinavia \u2013 ahead of only Italy.<\/p>\n The decline is being attributed in large part to last month\u2019s Supreme Court ruling<\/a>, which interpreted \u201csex\u201d in the 2010 Equality Act as strictly biological, effectively excluding trans people from protection under the law. For legislation relating specifically to the recognition of gender identity<\/a>, the UK now ranks 45th \u2013 down with countries like Hungary, Georgia, Bulgaria, and Russia.<\/p>\n In 2015, the UK topped the index with an 86% rating. Since then, it\u2019s been on a slow but steady decline. This year alone, the UK dropped seven spots.<\/p>\n \u201cThe time to push back is now, before the targeted attacks we\u2019re seeing in countries like Hungary<\/a>, the UK, and Georgia become the norm rather than the exception,\u201d said ILGA-Europe\u2019s executive director, Chaber.<\/p>\n While Scotland\u2019s<\/a> recent introduction of the Hate Crime and Public Order Act added some protections, its effect on the overall UK score was minimal due to limited jurisdiction. <\/p>\n A spokesperson for TGEU, the European transgender rights network, said the UK now has a Supreme Court, a prime minister, and an equalities watchdog \u201csinging from the same hymn sheet as anti-trans campaigners.\u201d<\/p>\n They added that the Court\u2019s decision not only strips trans people of legal certainty but also opens the door to dangerous exclusions \u2013 from hospital wards and public toilets to refugee shelters and other essential spaces.<\/p>\n Rebecca Don Kennedy, chief executive of the Equality Network, called the drop \u201cshameful\u201d, stating: \u201cFor our treatment of trans people after the Supreme Court ruling<\/a>, we are now known as one of the worst countries in Europe. The UK must do better.\u201d<\/p>\n Vic Valentine of Scottish Trans echoed the alarm: \u201cFrom the outside, the UK is viewed as a cautionary tale of how things can go backwards rather than forwards.\u201d<\/p>\n Malta continues to lead the index with a score of 89%, followed by Belgium, Iceland<\/a>, Denmark, and Spain. Other nations now above the UK include Finland, Ireland<\/a>, Croatia and Estonia.<\/p>\n The message from LGBTQ+ advocates is clear: progress is not permanent, and rights can be eroded if left unguarded. \u201cThis isn\u2019t inevitable,\u201d said Valentine. \u201cGovernments can \u2013 and must \u2013 act to reverse this decline.\u201d<\/p>\n Ella Glossop is Huck\u2019s social lead. Follow her on Bluesky<\/a>. Buy your copy of Huck 81 here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n Enjoyed this article? Follow Huck on Instagram<\/a> and sign up to our newsletter<\/a> for more from the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture.<\/strong><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n Support stories like this by becoming a member of Club Huck<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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