Anniversary of 20 years of gay marriages in Netherlands, as LGBT+ people suffer across Europe

World’s first legally marriage was administered 20 years ago on the 1 of April 2001 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Since then 28 countries worldwide, 16 of those in western Europe, have legalised same-sex marriage. The celebration of this important milestone in LGBT+ rights is darkened by the Europe-wide pushback against LGBT+ rights. Notably, a number of Poland municipalities have been pushing to adopt so-called ‘LGBTI-free zones’,Hungary recently passed a law that prohibits adoption for same-sex couples,  and in Russian controlled Chechnya there are reports of ‘gay purges’. Human rights activists note that all across Europe LGBT+ people face discrimination and even violence and the wave of anti-LGBT+ politics is a reason to remobilise to ensure safety and well-being of queer and gay peoples.