On this week's special of "something actually good happened"... Switzerland passed a law that condemns homophobia! These last days the government has passed a law that if broken can lead up to three years of prison.
Switzerland had no laws to protect the LGBTQ+ community from discrimination, if they were publicly denigrated for their sexual orientation there was no way they would have been prosecuted. Something that many countries in Western Europe actually already have.
So this year the Swiss were asked whether they wanted to enlarge an already existing law against discrimination, to include discrimination against members of the LGBTQ+, 63% voted in favour and this law passed.
The situation of LGBTQ+ people is, according to the UN, considered mediocre. Hate speech and discrimination is a serious problem for the country, same-sex partnerships are legal in Switzerland, whereas same-sex marriage is not, something not particularly great for them. Moreover, many people in Switzerland were against this law because they felt like it would limit freedom of speech, but you guys, if you need hate speech to assert your right, we got a problem.
So this result might be the first step towards a safer environment for everyone, both in Switzerland and in the rest of Europe.
Switzerland had no laws to protect the LGBTQ+ community from discrimination, if they were publicly denigrated for their sexual orientation there was no way they would have been prosecuted. Something that many countries in Western Europe actually already have.
So this year the Swiss were asked whether they wanted to enlarge an already existing law against discrimination, to include discrimination against members of the LGBTQ+, 63% voted in favour and this law passed.
The situation of LGBTQ+ people is, according to the UN, considered mediocre. Hate speech and discrimination is a serious problem for the country, same-sex partnerships are legal in Switzerland, whereas same-sex marriage is not, something not particularly great for them. Moreover, many people in Switzerland were against this law because they felt like it would limit freedom of speech, but you guys, if you need hate speech to assert your right, we got a problem.
So this result might be the first step towards a safer environment for everyone, both in Switzerland and in the rest of Europe.
