Tiny European states play catch up on LGBTQ+ equality
Two days after the Swiss vote, lawmakers signalled near-unanimous support for same-sex marriage during a parliamentary session in the principality, one of several European microstates that trail their neighbours on LGBTQ+ equality laws.
This year, the nation of fewer than 40,000 people is also due to host its first Pride event. “I guess it’s always been like this; we’ve always waited for bigger countries to take the initiative,” Stefan Marxer, a board member at Liechtenstein’s only LGBTQ+ group, Flay, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Catholicism is the official religion in the principality, which advocacy group ILGA-Europe rates 40th of 49 observed European countries when it comes to legal protections for LGBTQ+ people, just behind Romania and Ukraine.
Only Malta scores highly among Europe’s microstates on LGBTQ+ rights legislation – clinching the top spot in the ILGA rating.
