Europe’s parliament has adopted a resolution declaring that trans women are women, marking a significant symbolic step for LGBTQ+ rights across the European Union. The resolution outlines recommendations for the EU at the upcoming 70th annual UN Commission on the Status of Women, scheduled next month in New York. Among them is a proclamation stressing the “importance of the full recognition of trans women as women, noting that their inclusion is essential for the effectiveness of any gender-equality and anti-violence policies”.
The measure also calls for a “comprehensive tool to monitor and counter democratic backsliding and backsliding in women’s rights”, while acknowledging a rise in attacks against LGBTQ+ and women’s rights activists. According to LGBTQ+ Nation, the recommendations were approved in a 340–141 vote, with 68 abstentions. Although European Parliament resolutions are typically not legally binding, they often carry political weight and influence across member states.
Journalist Erin Reed, covering the development, suggested the resolution places the European Union on a direct collision course with the United States ahead of the UN gathering. The resolution also contrasts with positions taken elsewhere in Europe. In Hungary, where Pride marches were banned last year, protests drew tens of thousands. Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony faced criminal charges for defying the ban.
