The Pride month in Sweden is a meaningful event due to its historical background; it is seen as one of the most progressive countries in Europe and in the world. Tolerance, respect, and open-mindedness are the very first qualities that are able to bring peace in our societies. With this in mind, Sweden stood up for the LGBTQ+ interests. The country was already legalizing same-sexual activity in 1944. In 1972, transvestism was declassified as an illness. Same-sex civil partnerships became legal in 1995. Gay and lesbian couples were allowed to adopt children since 2003. In 2009, Sweden became the seventh country to authorize same-sex marriage. Then, it allowed legal gender changes without hormone replacement therapy and sex reassignment surgery was passed in 2013.
In 2020, Sweden has been named “the most LGBTQ+ friendly country for travellers” according to Trafalgar, a travellers’ website referring to a new LGBTQ+ Danger Index. Why is Sweden such a safe place to travel for the LGBTQ+ community? LGBTQ+ citizens and travellers have been legally protected in Sweden as early as 1987, when discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and expression became illegal. Also, a study directed by the Danish Research Institute for Suicide Prevention together with researchers from the University of Stockholm stated that the suicide rates of LGBTQ+ people have decreased significantly in Sweden.
Plenty of other countries are not left behind. As of June 2021, same-sex marriage is recognised in 31 countries, including: Argentina, Canada, Ireland, Malta, South Africa and Uruguay. This is the result of global efforts, notably from Amnesty International. After a global Amnesty campaign, the highest court in Taiwan ruled that banning same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. Then, Taiwan became in May 2019 the first country in Asia to recognize same-sex marriages. This shows how positive we can be concerning the future of LGBTQ+ rights’ recognition.