Project: QueerDefense
Reporting period: 2024–2025
Promoted by: Transfeminines (Transfeminiinit ry), Finland — Author: Heidi Ahola, with Mona Rainer and Linda Lindström
Funded by: EU Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme, with EuroCentralAsian Lesbian* Community (EL*C) as intermediary funder
QueerDefense Research Report: Experiences of Harassment and Hate Speech Among Cis, Trans and Non-Binary Lesbians in Finland – Report
This report by Transfeminines (Transfeminiinit ry) presents findings from the QueerDefense survey on harassment and hate speech experienced by cis, trans and non-binary lesbians in Finland, published as part of the EU/EL*C-funded QueerDefense project (2024–2025). It documents the anti-LGBTQ+ hate content lesbians repeatedly encounter (including “anti-woke” and anti-trans narratives, increasingly visible on social media), the forms of harassment they face (identity denial, sexual harassment, catcalling, staring, online and public-space harassment), and how these experiences differ between cis and gender-diverse lesbians — with trans and non-binary lesbians reporting disproportionately higher rates. It closes with conclusions and recommendations on education, accessible services, and public discourse, situating the findings against Finland’s 2024–2027 gender equality programme and the 10th anniversary of Finland’s ratification of the Istanbul Convention.
