SOCIAL POLICY : EP CALLS FOR ROAD MAP TO TACKLE HOMOPHOBIA.

• Position: European Parliament

The European Parliament is pushing for a "comprehensive multiannual policy" at European level to tackle homophobia and transphobia. It formulates this request in a draft non-legislative resolution on fighting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, adopted in plenary on 4 February.

"Parliament has made this request ten times in different resolutions since January 2011. [ ] The European Commission has to develop a coherent approach at European level that includes concrete measures, similar to what it did for the protection of Roma and persons with reduced mobility," said rapporteur Ulrike Lunacek (Greens-EFA, Austria). She denounced the intensive lobbying against her report (mentioning nearly 40,000 letters and the hacking of her website).

Although the report is non-binding, it is highly symbolic given repeated demonstrations against the French government's alleged 'familyphobia'.

The EU, say MEPs, should draw up a multidisciplinary road map, strategy or action plan, similar to what already exists for combating discrimination on grounds of gender, disability or ethnic origin. This initiative should cover many areas, including education, work, health, family, free movement and external action. The resolution encourages the European Commission to work closely with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to remove gender identity disorders from the list...