Activation of Intimate Citizenship: the Everyday-Life of Gays and Lesbians in Some New EU Member States and their Legal Protection

A recent study on the everyday life of gays and lesbians in Slovenia has shown a high level of violence directed towards gays and lesbians because of their sexual orientation. The majority of gays and lesbians that participated in the research are reluctant to speak of their sexual orientation due to fear from discrimination. Data show a low level of active commitment to improve citizenship rights for gays and lesbians. Besides, they point to the low level of legal protection and a high level of homophobia. The project stimulated discussion on the situation of GLBT population in some new EU member states. It aimed also at stimulating research on the mentioned topics to be able to influence the level of policy making. The project brought forward reviews and comparison of the existing quantitative and qualitative data on the everyday life of GLBT people; comparison of the national legislations on the rights of gays and lesbians in the ten new EU member states and their accordance with the EU recommendations and resolutions; and policy suggestions for needed legislative changes.