Today, on the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT), EL*C publishes its 2025 Annual Report of the Observatory on Lesbophobic Violence and Discrimination. On this day of international awareness and advocacy, we continue our work to make lesbophobia visible.
In 2025, we documented incidents in 13 countries, showing a continuum of lesbophobic violence and discrimination taking place across homes, public spaces, institutions and digital environments. This year, we chose to focus on the family, because home continues to be a place where safety is not guaranteed for lesbians and where identities must constantly be negotiated and concealed, including through practices that closely resemble “conversion practices”. This week, the European Commission responded to the European Citizens’ Initiative calling for a ban on conversion practices by committing to issue a recommendation to Member States, conduct a dedicated study and develop awareness and support measures. This is an encouraging development, but we must ensure the specific realities of lesbians are not overlooked in that process.
The violence and discrimination documented range from physical assault, online hate and state-sponsored lesbophobia to everyday discrimination against lesbian mothers, asylum seekers and attacks against organisations and human rights defenders. Institutions that should offer protection too often compound the harm through inaction or active exclusion. This year, for the first time, we are reporting two cases of suicide resulting from sustained lesbophobic harassment. In both cases, authorities failed to act. We mourn these losses and commit to ensuring they are not forgotten.
The evidence base is growing: from two national data initiatives when we launched in 2022, we now draw on five including a national survey conducted by the Spanish Instituto de la Mujer, which collected the experience of over 4000 lesbians.
Lesbophobia remains structural, persistent and largely met with impunity. Naming it, counting it, and refusing to let it disappear into silence is an act of resistance and a demand for change.
