2023 Summit for Democracy LGBTQI+ Human Rights Report Cards
Inclusive democracies value the democratic, economic, and social contributions of all citizens. Indeed, democracy itself cannot thrive unless the human rights of all people are protected, and this must include protections for often marginalized LGBTQI+ individuals. Advancing rights for the protection of LGBTQI people is also closely correlated to broader democratic dividends, including efforts to address democratic backsliding, fight corruption, and build resilient movements to fight authoritarianism. These themes of the 2023 Summit for Democracy are also themes of LGBTQI movements around the world.
The Council for Global Equality, in collaboration with F&M Global Barometers, scored the more than 110 countries participating in the Summit. The report cards provide a concise measurement of the attainment of core human rights protections for LGBTQI individuals. They set the collective standard for participating states’ core legal obligations and consequently the ability of LGBTQI citizens to contribute to and benefit from democratic institutions. Countries are graded on three dimensions: Basic Rights, Protection from Violence, and Socio-economic rights. Only one state – Malta – has achieved all benchmarks. Many states score poorly, especially in the second dimension on protection from violence. Fortunately, the Summit for Democracy signals the start of a year of action, during which all states will have an opportunity to demonstrate progress in advancing the human rights and democratic participation of their LGBTQI citizens.
The report cards are based on 2022 baseline data, and this year, we also introduce a new Global Barometers LGBTQI+ Perception Index that measures the lived realities of LGBTQI+ persons in the Summit countries.
See the LGBTQI+ Human Rights Report Cards and Global Barometers LGBTQI+ Perception Index here.
