LGBTQI Report Cards

December 6, 2021 – The Biden Administration is hosting a Summit for Democracy this week and the Council for Global Equality scored the 110 countries that have been invited. The LGBTQI Human Rights Report Cards, produced in collaboration with F&M Global Barometers, measure the extent to which countries attending the Summit protect the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI) people. See the report cards here.

Inclusive democracies value the democratic, economic, and social contributions of all citizens. Indeed, democracy itself cannot thrive unless the human rights of all people are protected, and this must include protections for often marginalized LGBTQI individuals. Advancing rights for the protection of LGBTQI people is also closely correlated to broader democratic dividends, including efforts to address democratic backsliding, fight corruption, and build resilient movements to fight authoritarianism. These themes of the Summit are also themes of LGBTQI movements around the world.

The report cards provide a concise measurement of the attainment of core human rights protections for LGBTQI individuals. They set the collective standard for participating states’ core legal obligations and consequently the ability of LGBTQI citizens to contribute to and benefit from democratic institutions. Countries are graded on three dimensions: Basic Rights, Protection from Violence, and Socio-economic rights. Only one state – Malta – has achieved all benchmarks. Many states score poorly, especially in the second dimension on protection from violence. Fortunately, the Summit for Democracy signals the start of a year of action, during which all states will have an opportunity to demonstrate progress in advancing the human rights and democratic participation of their LGBTQI citizens.

The report cards are based on 2020 baseline data and will be updated during the year of action to reflect advances over the coming year, culminating in a 2022 report at the end of the Summit process. We hope the 2022 report cards will reflect significant progress – and no major backsliding.

Read the report cards here.