Statement in support of the right to freedom of expression and assembly of LGBTI communities

The Equal Rights Coalition (ERC) brings together 44 member states, intergovernmental organisations and more than 100 civil society organisations to advance the rights and dignity of LGTBI communities globally. On behalf of the members of the ERC, Co-Chairs Colombia and Spain, with the support of Caribe Afirmativo and Fundación Triángulo, declare:

That we reject all legislative amendments that seek to limit and restrict the right of LGBTI people and their allies to public assembly, public expression and privacy, under the pretext of protecting children and adolescents.

That these legislative amendments, which portray LGBTI people in a way that reinforces negative stereotypes, have serious consequences for the lives and human rights of LGBTI people, including LGBTI minors, such as prohibiting and limiting their participation in public life and generating a context of social stigmatisation that promotes and legitimises violence, discrimination and harassment. 

That prohibiting by law the free expression of diversity, in books, films, performances, theatre, music or any other cultural expression, is a form of censorship that undermines human rights and democratic values and increases the vulnerability of LGBTI people.

That curtailing the freedom of expression and assembly of LGBTI people, limiting or preventing public demonstration, or preventing the free expression and gender identity of transgender people, contradicts the fundamental values of dignity, freedom, equality and human rights, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 

That the efforts of governments and civil society in many regions of the world to promote freedom of expression and assembly of LGBTI people should be recognised and that countries and civil society should continue to share good practices and inclusive legislation.

We therefore call on governments and international and regional organisations to reject such legislative provisions as they undermine the rights of LGBTI people, and the principles and values of democracy and human rights.

In plural and tolerant societies that respect diversity, there is no place for the prohibition of a free and non-violent demonstration such as LGBTI Pride.

Statement by the co-chairs of the ERC, Colombia and Spain, on behalf of the Equal Rights Coalition.

Category Statement, English, 2025