EL*C welcomes explicit recognition and calls for strong action on violence, health, care, economic justice, and democracy 

The EuroCentralAsian Lesbian* Community (EL*C) welcomes the new EU Gender Equality Strategy as an overall positive development. In particular, EL*C strongly welcomes the explicit recognition of LBTIQ+ women in the Strategy, marking clear progress compared with the previous Gender Equality Strategy.  

The Strategy will “pay particular attention to women from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds, migrant women, women with disabilities, women from lower socio-economic backgrounds, young and older women, and LBTIQ+ women”. This inclusion has been a longstanding demand of our advocacy at EU level, and constitutes an important step towards a Gender Equality Strategy that better reflects the realities of all women 

EL*C particularly welcomes: 

• Action on violence against women.The Strategy builds on the EU Directive on combating violence against women and domestic violence. This is particularly important for LBTIQ women, who are exposed to heightened levels of violence, including online violence. EL*C looks forward to contributing to implementation efforts, including work related to aggravating circumstances linked to bias motives as well as online violence. 
• Support through EU funding.ELC welcomes the commitments concerning AgoraEU and the Daphne programme. Through Daphne, EL*C has redistributed more than €1.9 million euros over the 18 months and supported over 50 projects addressing violence against LBTIQ women across Europe. 
• Health and access to care.EL*C welcomes the recognition that intersecting inequalities worsen barriers to healthcare access and can lead to discrimination in treatment for LBTIQ women. We look forward to contributing to the planned actions on research and good practices, and welcome the Commission’s response to My Voice, My Choice that supports the use of ESF+ fund to ensure access to abortion services in the EU.  
• Equal pay and economic independence.EL*C welcomes and look forward in collaboration on the actions concerning equal pay, economic empowerment and the implementation of the Pay Transparency Directive, as it recognised intersectional discrimination in the workplace. 
• Care, families, and work life balance.Lesbian couples in countries that do not recognise same sex families or recognise them in discriminatory ways often face barriers in access to parental rights, family benefits, and care related leave. These realities cannot be overlooked in the EU work on care. 
• Political participation and democracy.LBTIQ+ women engaging in politics, journalism, or human rights work often face increased barriers, including online harassment, smear campaigns, and discrimination within institutions and political parties. EL*C therefore expects the implementation of the Strategy to include concrete measures to protect women in public life, tackle gendered and anti LBTIQ+ online abuse, and remove structural barriers that continue to limit our communities’ political participation. 

The publication of the Strategy and the inclusion of LBTIQ+ women are important political signals. EL*C looks forward to working with EU institutions to ensure that these commitments translate into real improvements in the lives of LBTIQ+ women across Europe.