The Worrying Regression Of LGBT Rights In Eastern Europe

After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Central and Eastern Europe were broadly welcoming places for LGBT people, but over 30 years later the region has seen monumental backsliding. Data from the Pew Center shows a stark divide between Western and Eastern Europe on gay rights, a phenomenon that experts say is connected to the rise of right-wing populism, particularly in countries such as Poland and Hungary. Economic uncertainty, exacerbated by the coronavirus, and right-wing leaders, often acting with the support of the church, have meant crimes against LGBT people are more commonplace. And experts say there is little to be optimistic about, with no signs that the backsliding is going to end any time soon.