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Austria creates legal security for rainbow families!
Austria is planning better protection for rainbow families with new laws on equality and legal certainty from 2025.
Austria creates legal security for rainbow families!
On May 30, 2025, significant progress was recorded for the LGBTIQ+ community in Austria. The National Council has approved a national action plan against hate crime, which is particularly aimed at increasing the protection of rainbow families. Mario Lindner, the SPÖ's equal treatment spokesman, welcomed the latest improvement measures and advocated comprehensive legal protection. This includes, among other things, same-sex couples whose marriages are not recognized in their home country. They should receive full rights in Austria in the future reports OTS.
The aim of the Council of Ministers' decision on marriage reform is to improve the legal framework for rainbow families. An amendment to the International Private Law Act, due to be passed this year, will provide legal protection for adoptions by same-sex couples. This applies even in cases where one of the partners does not have Austrian citizenship. These measures are part of a broader strategy to offer all rainbow families full protection and legal certainty in Austria according to the news from Der Standard.
European developments
While Austria is taking positive steps, rainbow families in many European countries continue to fight for their rights. In Latvia, a same-sex couple reported that they officially registered their partnership on July 1, 2025 after taking legal action explains The Standard. These developments are in line with a broader movement within the European community, where the recognition and protection of LGBTI rights has varied in recent years.
In Poland, for example, there is progress on LGBTIQ rights under the newly formed government coalition. A draft law that would allow registered partnerships for same-sex couples was presented in October. However, the draft still has to pass parliament and requires the signature of conservative President Andrzej Duda, who is not considered a great friend of the queer community. To finalize the draft, the liberal parties abandoned the possibility of adoption for same-sex couples in order to appease the conservative PSL reports The Standard.
The importance of protecting LGBTI rights
The protection of LGBTI rights is very important in the European Union. The EU has been committed to equality for LGBTI people for 25 years and the rights of this group are enshrined in key documented agreements, such as the Treaty of Amsterdam and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union notes youth.europa.eu.
However, the situation for LGBTI people in many EU countries remains worrying. They suffer discrimination, harassment and violence, according to a 2013 survey by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights. Michelle O'Flaherty, director of the FRA, noted in 2020 that many LGBTI people do not want to hold hands with same-sex partners in public for fear of hostility.
The EU is therefore working on a new strategy to improve this situation, while ILGA-Europe monitors the status of LGBTI rights and publishes the annual benchmarking report “Rainbow Europe”.