More than 200 diplomats from over 30 Permanent Missions celebrated sexual and gender diversities and freedoms, including the right of every human person to be proud of who they are, to define their own identity and to love the person of their choice.

EU Ambassador Lotte Knudsen was joined by several other Ambassadors from EU Member States, as well as many other Permanent Missions. Together they waved rainbow fans under the slogan “LGBTIQ+ Rights are Human Rights".

The EU listens and acts on the challenges that LGBTIQ persons face in the world. There has been a rise in anti-LGBTIQ rhetoric, fuelled by disinformation and false narratives, often leading to violence, harassment and stigmatization. It is unacceptable that human rights continue to be violated on the basis of perceived or actual sexual orientation & gender identity. The EU is deeply concerned about the situation and calls on all 67 state jurisdictions  worldwide that still criminalise homosexuality, 11 of which impose the death penalty for consensual same-sex relationships, to end this discriminatory practice. The criminalisation of sexual orientation and non-recognition of trans- and intersex identities leads to stigma and marginalisation of LGBTIQ persons, multiplying the challenges they face to freely access health services. Even though 130 countries no longer criminalise consensual same-sex activities, the journey towards equality and non-discrimination continues. The EU's External cooperation efforts strive for a world free from discrimination.

The European Union recalls that all human beings, regardless of who they are, whom they love, and how they see and define themselves, are born free and equal. Sexual orientation and gender identity are not to be repressed or changed; they are an expression of the rich diversity of human beings. We are united in our diversity.