Resolution on LGBTIQ(A+) Students

European Students’ Union, BM90

The European Students’ Union, representing over 20 million students across the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), reaffirms that education is a public good and a human right and that all students must be able to study, participate and live openly and safely regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or sex characteristics (SOGIESC). ESU welcomes the publication of the EU LGBTIQ Equality Strategy 2026 to 2030 and the European Commission’s continued commitment to equality, renewed support for civil society, a push on the Equal Treatment Directive, actions on cyberbullying and the intention to establish an LGBTIQ+ Policy Forum.

ESU also notes that LGBTIQ(A+) students continue to face interconnected barriers on and off campus, from harassment and housing exclusion to administrative non-recognition and unmet health needs. These realities sit at odds with the Bologna Process commitments on the social dimension and fundamental values, including the Rome 2020 and Tirana 2024 Communiqués, and show that an inclusive EHEA by 2030 is not yet in reach. Recent evidence from Europe, including The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights’s third LGBTIQ survey (2024), ILGA-Europe’s 2025 Rainbow Map analysis and even ESU’s Bologna With Student Eyes 2024 show we are not on track, with the social dimension across the EHEA and EEA remaining uneven and backsliding evident in several contexts. ESU stresses serious gaps highlighted by youth and equality organisations regarding the new EU LGBTIQ Equality Strategy, including reduced overall ambition compared to 2020 to 2025, limited operational clarity for trans, intersex and racialised people, weak accountability and monitoring and insufficient embedding of intersectionality and measures targeting students and youth. 

This resolution updates ESU’s stance on LGBTIQ(A+) students in response to the EU LGBTIQ Equality Strategy 2026 to 2030 and developments in the EHEA. It complements ESU’s existing positions and policy documents, such as:

• BM72: Statement on the experiences and rights of LGBT+ students
• ESU Student Rights Charter
• ESU Statement on Gender Based Violence
• ESU Social Dimension policy paper
• ESU Fundamental Values and Solidarity Policy Paper

1. What has changed since 2017

Across Europe, the evidence shows that the trends for LGBTIQ(A+) students are worsening. The FRA’s third LGBTIQ survey (2024) reports persistently high levels of discrimination and harassment, with clear education-sector impacts. In the past 12 months, 15% of respondents reported discrimination in the education setting. Student welfare gaps are stark, 12% faced discrimination when seeking housing, rising to 28% for intersex respondents, and 16% avoided being open at higher education institutions (HEIs) for fear of harassment. Together, data shows HEIs and education systems are not yet delivering equal safety, participation and wellbeing.

ILGA-Europe’s 2025 Rainbow Map and analysis show continued divergence between countries, with sharp declines in some and advances in others. Hungary fell seven places after banning Pride events, criminalising organisers and removing gender identity from equality law. The United Kingdom dropped six places after a Supreme Court ruling that limits the effectiveness of legal gender recognition. Georgia fell seven places following an omnibus package that prohibits legal gender recognition, restricts trans specific healthcare, bans adoption by same sex couples and erases references to gender identity and expression. Gains exist, but are uneven, Germany rose three places with the Self Determination Act, Austria rose four with clarified protections covering gender identity, expression and sex characteristics, Czechia rose three with extended partnership rights, Poland rose three after ending LGBT free zones and removing obstructions to public events and Latvia rose four with a civil union law. The top five remain Malta, Belgium, Iceland, Denmark and Spain, while the bottom five also stay  unchanged. This divergence directly translates into uneven student experiences across borders and within joint programmes. 

At EU level, the new European Parliament is more plural and fragmented, and parts of this landscape are marked by harsh rhetoric and proposals targeting minorities. The concern with this configuration is the rise of hate speech, restrictive policymaking and pressure on the rule of law, which can translate into discrimination on campus. In several contexts, we have already seen attacks on minorities and efforts to narrow equality and civic space, such as the ban on Budapest Pride and new anti-LGBTI legislation in Georgia. This may slow equality documents, narrow funding priorities and add pressure on rule of law safeguards that underpin non-discrimination in higher education. ESU prioritises protection of the acquis on fundamental rights, non-regression and practical delivery through existing EHEA and EEA instruments.

In October 2025 the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers adopted the first Europe-wide recommendation on equality for intersex people, setting out concrete measures to prevent discrimination and harmful practices. This instrument gives national authorities, student unions and HEIs a clearer reference point for campus policy and practice on intersex inclusion in education and sports.

Therefore, European students are reinforcing their commitment to a truly inclusive European Higher Education Area. ESU:

• stands for turning equality promises into concrete student rights in higher education. Equality for LGBTIQ(A+) students must move from soft commitments to minimum guarantees that apply across systems and borders, with clear redress when rights are denied.
• believes three shifts are needed now: from pilots to baseline obligations, from short projects to funded core services and from consultations to co-decision with student unions in governance and implementation.
• expects non-regression in law and practice, portability of student rights across countries and providers, and evidence-based accountability through existing standards and guidelines for quality assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG) aligned processes without adding duplicate burdens. Intersectionality must be mainstreamed and civic space for student representation be protected and resourced, including through implementation of Principles and Guidelines to Strengthen the Social Dimension of Higher Education in the EHEA.

2. ESU’s assessment of the EU LGBTIQ Equality Strategy 2026 to 2030

The new EU LGBTIQ Equality Strategy keeps an EU wide approach and signals continued support to equality work, including funding for civil society through the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values strand, which helps student-led groups and services stay active. It commits to setting up an LGBTIQ Policy Forum and a structured dialogue, which, if it includes student unions and youth groups, can surface campus specific issues early and steer implementation. It also announces action on cyberbullying and online harms, a step that can set expectations for platforms, improve reporting channels and support student victims across borders. The renewed push on the Equal Treatment Directive matters for students who rely on protections in housing, services and work during study. Finally, the call for national actions plans and equality data gives National Unions of Students a concrete hook to demand higher education measures, targets and regular reporting.

At the same time, the Strategy falls short for students in several ways. While keeping a useful EU wide frame and tools we can build on, delivery for students will depend on how it is operationalised in education. Implementation should prioritise safe, inclusive and non-discriminatory higher education through the European Education Area, Erasmus+ and full use of Bologna tools, with progress discussed annually in the LGBTIQ Policy Forum. Member States should include higher education chapters in their national LGBTIQ action plans. Several already do include measures that touch HEIs and student life, yet coverage remains uneven and many plans treat higher education implicitly rather than explicitly. ESU calls on the Members States that lack a plan, or whose plan omits higher education, to adopt or revise one with measurable commitments on administrative recognition, campus safety, services parity, mobility safeguards and student participation, At programme level, the European Degree label and mobility opportunities can drive parity by requiring equal access to services across partner campuses, minimum safeguards for mobility safety and meaningful student participation. The Commission, in coordination between DG JUST and DG EAC, should support HEIs with practical guidance on administrative recognition, including chosen names and pronouns in student systems, and these expectations should be reflected through ESG aligned quality assurance.