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LONDON – Despite some important gains for the ���Ǻ��� community in Europe in 2024, the continent still became more polarised over gay and transgender rights as elections took place in more than 30 countries and voters chose a new European parliament.

Marriage equality became law in and Greece, while countries including Bulgaria and Georgia introduced anti-���Ǻ��� bills and policies to restrict rights. and harassment cases also rose to an all-time high. 

Here were the key developments during the year.

Marriage equality and civil partnerships

As of December, same-sex marriage is legal in . will become the 21st country with marriage equality on Jan. 1, having passed its law in May.

Estonia became the first central European country to legalise same-sex marriage at the start of this year, when a by parliament in June 2023 came into effect.

Greece became the first Orthodox country to pass such a law in February, and the took place in March. The legislation also gave ���Ǻ��� couples the right to adopt.

In , a law for same-sex civil unions was signed by the president in April and goes into effect on Jan. 1, while own law from 2023 came into effect on July 1.

Similar bills to recognise same-sex partnerships were also introduced in and .

In 2023, the European Court of Human Rights ordered to recognise same-sex couples, but the government has ignored the ruling.

Legal gender recognition

Germany passed a self-identification law in April, allowing trans people to change their gender without a psychological assessment or a visit to court.

In September, began legally recognising non-binary people and reduced the age for legal gender recognition to 16.

also passed a law to improve the process of transitioning and lowered the age of legal gender recognition from 18 to 16. 

introduced a self-determination bill in March, but it has not progressed this year, activists told Context.

European Union members were told they must accept changes of gender registered in other countries in the bloc in October, after Romanian authorities refused to do so.

The European Court of Justice said Romania's to recognise the gender identity of a British-Romanian trans man - who began his transition in Britain - infringed on his rights.

In December, Britain announced an indefinite ban on puberty-blocking drugs, a contested treatment for children experiencing discomfort or dysphoria over the sex they were assigned at birth.

Conversion therapy

banning conversion therapy for all of the ���Ǻ��� community came into effect in March after it was passed last December. 

The EU has also pledged to seek a in the bloc as part of a new ���Ǻ��� equality strategy, outlined in a mission letter by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in September. 

Following a July election, Britain committed to a on , more than six years after the former Conservative government pledged to end such practices.

Rights rollbacks

Two laws were passed in Georgia with negative implications for the ���Ǻ��� community ahead of parliamentary election in October this year.

The "foreign agents" law, passed in May, forces internationally funded organisations to share their internal data, while the "family values" legislation package, passed in October, blocks access to gender-affirming care, so-called ���Ǻ��� propaganda, and freedom of assembly.

In Bulgaria, a law banning "propaganda" on same-sex relationships and trans identities in schools was passed in August.

Laws banning so-called propaganda have also been introduced in and . In , the nation's top court deemed an attempt at such legislation to be unconstitutional in December.

In October, banned couples from seeking surrogates abroad, a move that activists told Reuters would primarily affect same-sex families.

(Reporting by Lucy Middleton; Editing by Ayla Jean Yackley.)