CEO Comment: A Fall from Grace? The United Kingdom Drops to 22nd Place on the ILGA Europe Rainbow Index

The ILGA Europe Rainbow Map

The 2025 ILGA Europe Rainbow Map was launched today and I am sad to say that it makes for grim reading. Alongside far-right populist-led nation states, such as Georgia and Hungary, the United Kingdom has seen a significant drop of 6 places from 17th in 2024, to now languishing in 22nd place. This drop, and a lack of gains made across Europe generally, should sound as a warning klaxon for us all.

"It is increasingly clear to all of us that when people say LGBTQ+ rights are 'fixed' once they are gained, it rings hollow, as back in 2015, the United Kingdom was ranked number one on the map, a position it once held for four consecutive years."

A shift in political winds, a well-organised anti-LGBTQ+ opposition with influence and deep pockets of funding, a disenchantment with the established political class, the growth of anti-trans narratives, and the rise of populist leaders who seem to offer easy answers to complex problems, have all contributed toward this.

"A regular refrain I say to anybody who will listen, is that we are all only ever one General Election away from a populist leader, who will rollback LGBTQ+ rights. But perhaps now it is clear that we do not even need a General Election. The Rainbow Index is clear evidence of this. Gains are not being made, they are being lost."

A recent poll by the John Smith Centre in the United Kingdom found that young people are worried about the future of democracy. A survey in March 2025 of 2,039 people aged 16-29 found that 63% believed that democracy was “in trouble” and nearly three-quarters (72%) said British politics had become “too divided.” Worringly, the populist narrative is deepening, as one in five Britons aged 18-45 (Gen Z and Millenial voters) state that they prefer unelected leaders to democracy.

Whilst there have been some noteable gains in parts of Europe, such as Poland, Czechia, and Latvia on the ILGA Europe Rainbow Index, it is clear that centre and far-right political parties and actors, which are dominating European airways and political systems, have caught the LGBTQ+ rights movement on the back foot. Our once proud gains for equity and social justice are being eroded alongside our democratic systems being rolled back. As ILGA-Europe’s Advocacy Director, Katrin Hugendubel, states:

“The big headlines about the UK and Hungary draw attention, but democracy is being eroded quietly across Europe, like a thousand paper cuts."

It is time for new strategies, tactics, and hope, if we are to tackle the increasing rise of the far-right, populist, and authoritarian regimes. With this in mind, we welcome you to join us in October 2025 at #SaferToBeMe, our week-long global LGBTQ+ rights Summit, which will have a two-day conference themed around power, populism, and politics. Tickets are coming out soon, so please sign up to our newsletter to hear about them first, as this event will sell out.

We also urge the government of the United Kingdom, a place which once held the top spot on the ILGA Europe Rainbow Index, to reconsider its current path regarding LGBTQ+ rights and democratic freedoms, and to once again became a beacon in an increasingly darker world.

Notes:

The Rainbow Map and Index ranks 49 European countries on their respective legal and policy practices for LGBTI people, from 0-100%, using 76 criteria. You can read more about their methodology behind this, here.