On 1 April 2015 Malta passed its landmark Gender Identity, Gender Expression and Sex Characteristics Act.
On 22 May 2015 Ireland’s electorate voted in favour of marriage equality referendum in overwhelming numbers.
On 20 June 2015 Latvia became the first former USSR country to host EuroPride, welcoming 5,000 marchers in Riga.
In many ways, 2015 has been seen as a good year for LGBTI activists in Europe, with positive developments emerging from many corners of the continent. These headline-grabbing milestones are a real endorsement of the work being carried out by individual LGBTI advocates, NGOs and community groups at national level. With this drive for equality surging ahead, you’d assume that it was accompanied by widespread public acceptance.
Unfortunately, the picture is more complicated than that.
These recent achievements are campaigning marvels. But it is important not to confuse their visibility and publicity with complete inclusion in society. Increased awareness of LGBTI issues across Europe is a success in itself, but it isn’t the end of the equality story, not by a long way.
The recent Eurobarometer figures released by the European Commission are a perfect illustration of this.
![As birthrates decline and the workforce empties out, “in some countries, [people] are obliged to retire,”](/help/writing-https-static.euobserver.com/2005/04/677e4ac7c530bd9e00eb0ac007326e19.jpg)
