LGBTQ+ people in Czechia face highest discrimination in the EU, says a new report

A major new survey by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) has laid bare the discrimination and challenges still facing LGBTQ+ communities across the EU, including in the Czech Republic.

The online survey drew 100,577 responses from LGBTQ+ people in all 27 EU member states, as well as Albania, North Macedonia, and Serbia. The results paint a picture of persistent prejudice, harassment, and inequality despite efforts to advance LGBTQ+ rights.

In the Czech Republic, 63 percent of respondents said they had been harassed in the year before the survey, compared to 54 percent across the EU. A Czech bisexual woman, age 29, lamented that “LGBTIQ people are treated as second-class citizens, not protected as equals.”

Many respondents reported discrimination in crucial areas of life, including at work, school, healthcare settings, and public spaces. Thirty-five percent of Czech respondents said they felt discriminated against in at least one area over the previous year, similar to the 37 percent EU average.

“I was forced to undergo sterilization – without it, I would have a gender on my ID card that does not match my appearance at all, and I would still have to face discrimination,” said a 26-year-old pansexual trans woman from Czechia.

Safety remains a primary concern, with 12 percent of Czech respondents saying they had been physically or sexually attacked in the five years prior, on par with the 13 percent EU rate. Only 8 percent reported such attacks to police.

Anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment also pervades schools, according to the survey. Fifty-two percent of all Czech respondents said they suffered bullying, ridicule, or threats from students due to their LGBTQ+ identity, though below the 67 percent EU average.

The report highlights some areas where the Czech Republic fares better than EU averages, such as 27 percent believing violence against LGBTQ+ people has increased in recent years, compared to 59 percent across the EU. But overall, the results show LGBTQ+ Czechs continue to face widespread discrimination, harassment, and societal intolerance.

“Because I live my life almost completely 'hidden' – my life is not so affected by the LGBTQ+ problems that my country has. If I didn’t live in hiding, I know I would have problems – at work, at school,” said an 18-year-old non-binary lesbian from Czechia, illustrating the difficulties of living openly.