Next monday it will be International Day Against Homophobia. Parliament’s President Jerzy Buzek will deliver a video message on combating discrimination of sexual minorities. Attention focuses on what can be done to end discrimination and stigmatisation of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) people within and outside EU borders. The International Day Against Homophobia is the perfect opportunity to make concrete effort to counter homophobia. It is an event that gathers people to fight homophobia. Organisations, institutions, and individuals have set up events in their communities. How to get involved? Raise the Rainbow Flag, wherever there’s a flagpole. 

As recently as the second half of the 20th century, homosexual acts were illegal in many European countries. Have Europeans moved far beyond labelling homosexuality an “illness and mental disorder”? Occurrences of hate speech, bullying, prohibitions of equality and gay pride marches, indicate progress is still needed. In some EU countries LGBTs are forced to “either live in hiding or total denial, so many of them are deprived of fundamental rights and risk their job and sometimes even life, to live openly as LGBT.

The 2010 campaign Speaking about Silence is aimed at the sports world. The purpose of the campaign is to make athletes, those closely or loosely involved in this community, the media, and the general population more aware of the need to combat homophobia linked to both amateur and professional sports.