The Chair of the SEDEC Commission in the CoR and rapporteur on LGBTI rights for the Council of Europe, Yoomi Renström, Mayor of Ovanåker (Sweden), believes local authorities have a particular duty to ensure equal rights for their citizens.
To what extent are LGBTI rights respected in Europe?
A lot has changed in the last decade, but LGBTI people are still experiencing hostility and discrimination throughout the EU. While most politicians are careful not to appear prejudiced, we nevertheless continue to hear arguments that it's not 'normal behaviour' to be LGBTI, or that we need to 'protect' children from this so-called bad behaviour. That said, the response to my 2015 report, "Guaranteeing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people’s rights: a responsibility for Europe’s towns and regions", has been very positive. People are very happy that we're taking this issue seriously and engaging with the topic. Of course, a lot remains to be done about hate speech and hate crime in many parts of Europe.
Are there some rights and freedoms which you consider more fundamental than others?
There are different types of rights, of course: rights of the family, freedom of religion, of expression and so on. But you can never rank these against each other. One of the young people from the "No Hate Speech Movement", the Council of Europe's youth campaign for human rights online, told me recently: "Freedom does not exist when it limits another freedom, and this applies both to the physical but also virtual world". I agree that different rights complement each other; they're all important elements of equality.
What responsibilities do Europe's cities and regions have in protecting the rights of LGBTI people?
I always stress that there shouldn't be differences in your responsibility as a politician towards different groups, we have the responsibility to protect everyone equally. The rights necessary for daily life, social life, the right to feel safe and protected by the police: these are things everyone should have. There's no excuse for a politician to discriminate against any group of their citizens.
Although it's important for all levels of government to work together, as local representatives we are at the closest level to the citizens. Thanks to this local knowledge, we can positively influence public opinion and take leadership when it comes to guaranteeing the rights of LGBTI people. After all, LGBTI rights are human rights, therefore the political message about their full respect must be loud and clear.
One last question: We are all still in deep shock after what happened in Orlando, USA, yesterday. Any comment on this?
The Orlando massacre is simply a despicable act of terror. It is a sad reminder that LGBTI-motivated hate crimes are not a thing of the past, even in countries where LGBTI rights are fully recognised. This is why there is no room for complacency when it comes to defending our fundamental values and freedoms.
