Over the past decade we have seen many changes across both Western and Eastern Europe regarding attitudes towards the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans (LGBT) communities. Unfortunately, these changes haven’t always been in the direction of greater tolerance and recognition of human rights. The reality is that there is now an increased polarity between Western and Eastern Europe when it comes to legislation which affects the lives of LGBT people.

One of the most disturbing factors is that more and more increasingly negative attitudes and laws are being heavily influenced by religion under the guise of traditional family values. Homophobic and transphobic beliefs and attitudes which lead to discriminatory and oppressive actions can only be seen as an evil which impairs the whole of society, and across various parts of Europe, particularly Eastern Europe, this intolerance is taking increasingly aggressive forms.

The European Forum for LGBT Christian Groups (EF) are acutely aware of the increasing influence of the Religious Right and the strategies they employ to demonise and criminalise people, in the name of God, purely because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. This is why the EF commissioned this report.

This report is the first investigation document of this kind which highlights the rhetoric and propaganda tactics that are being used in several countries across Eastern Europe. It documents the need to take seriously the capacity of the  Religious Right to export homophobia and transphobia and the damage this can cause to wider society.