Fermoy Breaks Its Twinning With The Polish Anti-LGBTQ City Nowa Deba

Fermoy in Ireland has finally made its decision regarding the future of its twinning with a Polish town that had taken a stand against LGBTQ people.

Good news for LGBTQ associations in Paris, France, as Mayor Anne Hidalgo will double their annual grants.

Last year, the fashion in Poland was for “LGBTQ-free zones”.

Each of the 100 Polish municipalities that joined this hate movement passed an anti-LGBTQ resolution and carefully placed an “LGBTQ-Free Zone” sign at the entrance of their cities.

Since then, the European Union (EU) has been hitting in their wallet.

Six of these municipalities have been sanctioned for their anti-LGBTQ stance thanks to the work of Helena Dalli, the European Commissioner for Equality, who has been instrumental in the EU’s decision-making.

Dalli had affirmed that “EU values and fundamental rights must be respected by member states and public authorities.”

When I covered these unprecedented EU sanctions, I wondered whether they would continue and whether other sanctions would emerge.

Well, today, here’s the beginning of an answer.

What is happening in Germany? A few months ago, the government introduced a bill to ban “conversion therapies” and now I hear that the rights of LGBTQ moms may be moving forward in the country.

In Italy, despite the opening of civil unions to same-sex couples in 2016, the LGBTQ community is far from being accepted, so a bill against discrimination and hate crimes was introduced in Parliament this summer.

It may seem incredible to you, but French couples of women and single women do not have access to in vitro fertilization (IVF). Only women married to a man can conceive a child through medically assisted procreation. This is the law, and fortunately, it may change over the year.

The European Union will sanction a few towns in Poland following their anti-LGBTQ views.

Well, in Russia, it’s no fun for the LGBTQ community!

The Polish presidential election sees two candidates with opposing views on LGBTQ rights.

For the 11th year, ILGA-Europe releases its report on the progress and decline of LGBTQ rights in European countries with a rainbow map ranking them from most to least LGBTQ-friendly.

In which countries have the rights of our community continued to advance and where have they regressed? ILGA’s study is an opportunity to find out.