On May 17, 1990, the World Health Organization removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders.  Since 2004, the day has been celebrated as International Day Against Homophobia, or IDAHO.

This year for the first time and in a stunning show of support for LGBT people, the President of the European Council, the President of the European Parliament, the European Commissioner for Fundamental Rights and the High Representative of the European Union have issued statements affirming the EU’s commitment to refuse discrimination on any grounds.

	Read the statement from Herman van Rompuy, President of the European Council here.
	Watch a video message from Jerzy Buzek, President of the European Parliament here.
	A video message with transcript from Viviane Reding, European Commissioner for Fundamental Rights is below the fold.
	Read the statement from Baroness Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the European Union, here

President Herman van Rompuy concluded his statement with the following:

We are inspired by the sense for human dignity and the uniqueness of each person. Everyone deserves equal chances in life.

For somebody of my generation, this consecrates a remarkable evolution of public attitudes. It represents European values at their best:

accepting difference, not fearing it,

living with diversity, not fleeing it,

defending rights and responsibilities, not ignoring them.

Of course, much still needs to be done, both in Europe and other parts of the world, to ensure that these mean more than empty words. We must and shall persevere in this task.

Emphasis added to this unofficial transcript.

European Commissioner for Fundamental Rights on the International Day Against Homophobia from LGBT Intergroup on Vimeo.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As the E.U. Commissioner responsible for fundamental human rights, I’m very pleased to be able to address you today on the 17th of May, which marks the International Day Against Homophobia.  

Homophobia is a blatant violation of human dignity, and it is incompatible with the principle on which the E.U. is founded.

Shockingly, however, many people across the E.U. are still victims of exclusion, hate speech, hate crime and discrimination.  

The E.U. is going to great lengths to combat homophobia in all its forms, which is why I wanted to take this opportunity to speak to you today..  I’m glad to say that huge progress has been made in the European level that builds on the World Health Organization’s  decision to remove homosexuality from the international classification on diseases on the 17th or May, 1992.  Which led, by the way, to this day being chosen to  commemorate the fight against homophobia.

The principle of equal treatment is a fundamental value for the European Union.  This principle is guaranteed by the Charter of Fundamental Rights.  Its Article 21 prohibits any discrimination based on sexual orientation.  And this Charter must be the compass for all E.U. policies.

Whenever E.U. states implement E.U. law, they must respect the non-discrimination principle enshrined in Article 21 of the Charter.  I will remain vigilant that this is the case, and I will not hesitate to propose to launch infringement procedures if it should be necessary.

The European Commission works hard to protect the rights of the LGBT people.  Back in 2000 the E.U. adopted legislation to ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in employment.  I’m glad to say that this has raised the level of protection for LGBT people in all countries of the E.U..  A homosexual person who faces discrimination at work or in applying for jobs can now seek redress.  

But this is not enough, and that is why the European Commission has a new law which would extend protect from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation beyond the workplace to areas such as access to goods and services.  

The European Parliament is in favor.  But you know that all E.U. governments need to agree before we can have E.U.-wide protection.

And despite progress in the law, homophobia still remains widespread in Europe.  Homophobic crimes are not a rare occurrence, and invisibility remains a daily survival strategy  fro most LGBT people.  This is confirmed by the data collected by the Fundamental Rights Agency, by member states’ institutions, by civil society.  

I will ask the Fundamental Rights Agency to collect more data on homophobia hate speech and crime.  I invite civil society also to contribute to this collection, because there are problems.  In one member state, for instance, a third of lesbians and a quarter of gay male respondents stated that they had experienced hate crime in the last three years.  In another member state, more than half of the LGBT people reported experiencing violence because of their sexual orientation.  This is unacceptable in a 21st century society.

So to fight homophobia, we also need to challenge stereotypes and change attitudes.  This is why the European Commission supports actions across Europe to raise awareness of discrimination and to promote diversity and equality.

The E.U. is also very active in the international arena in bilateral as well as multilateral fora such as the United Nations.  In these fora, it pursues a determined policy of opposing homophobic actions, and campaigns for the decriminalization of homosexual relations.  This is also why I am speaking to you today, because I want my strong commitment to fighting homophobia and promoting equality for LGBT people in Europe and beyond Europe to be known everywhere.  As E.U. commissioner responsible for justice and fundamental rights, I will do my utmost to uphold the fundamental values on which our European Union is founded.