Rainbow Europe 2019 Rankings: Azerbaijan, Turkey, Armenia Worst For LGBT Community; Malta, Belgium Among Best

Oslo, May 14: Among 49 countries in Europe, the ones where the LGBT community is being subjected to most hostile conditions are Azerbaijan, Turkey and Armenia, claims a list released by advocacy group ILGA for Rainbow Europe 2019. On the other side, Malta, Belgium and Luxembourg have ranked among the best.

On the 0-100 index, Azerbaijan - at bottom of the table - has been given only three points for failing to enact laws and provide immunity to the community of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders. On the contrary, Malta has been accorded 90 points. LGBT Pride Month: A Glossary of Terms Associated With the LGBTQ Community

The report also condemns the government of Turkey for failing to protect the fundamental rights and civil liberties of the third gender.

As compared to western Europe, the eastern half of the continent has performed worse on the Rainbow indicator.

"Poland no longer provides access to medically assisted reproduction for single women, while Bulgaria removed all their administrative and legal procedures for changing name or gender marker in the official documents for trans people," said the press release issued by ILGA.

The advocacy firm has also condemned Serbia, Kosovo, Bulgaria and Hungary for "moving backwards" as as existing laws and policies disappeared.

In western Europe, the United Kingdom failed to maintain its erstwhile position, slipping from 73 points in 2018 to 68 in 2019.

"For years, we have said that marriage equality was an important signifier of equality, but not the be-all and end-all for LGBTI people," said Micah Grzywnowicz, co-chair of ILGA-Europe's Executive Board in the release.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 14, 2019 10:31 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).