Survey reveals Scotland would top charts for LGBTI equality if it was independent

Scotland would be the most gay-friendly nation in Europe if it was independent, a new survey has revealed.

The Rainbow Index, which compares laws and government policies, showed that while the UK has slipped from first place last year to third this year, Scotland would top a European league table after meeting 90% of the criteria laid down by campaigning group ILGA-Europe.

The index measures the impact of laws and policies on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people over six categories: equality and non-discrimination, family, bias motivated speech or violence, legal gender recognition, freedom of assembly, association and expression, and asylum.

A number of anti-discrimination laws were brought into force to protect the rights of LGBT people in Scotland in 2010, while same sex marriage was legalised in 2014.

However Scotland couldn't be judged outwith the UK for the purposes of the report and therefore wasn't scored as a seperate nation.

All the parties...had manifesto commitments to review and reform Scotland’s laws

Tim Hopkins, director of the Equality Network, said: “All the parties elected to the new Scottish Parliament session had manifesto commitments to review and reform Scotland’s laws on transgender people. The SNP, Labour, Greens and LibDems – that’s 98 of the Parliament’s 129 MSPs – were elected on more specific manifesto commitments that would bring our trans laws up to international best practice.

“If the Scottish Government and Parliament deliver on those commitments, and also make progress on intersex equality, Scotland will retain its place amongst the standard bearers for LGBTI equality.”

Malta, which has brought in a number of LGBTI laws into place during the past year, was placed top of the list, while Belgium was in second place.

ILGA-Europe executive director Evelyne Paradis said: “The countries who are on this upward curve tend to be the ones who have protected people from discrimination on grounds of gender identity, or legislated to protect the bodily integrity of intersex people and who have ingrained this change in everyday measures such as equality action plans.”