The Frontline

What can a small, divided island teach LGBTI activists about working across differences to build real resistance, solidarity, and power? Listen to our latest podcast from activists working across the Green Line in Cyprus.Cyprus is often framed as a polarised place, but its LGBTI movement is rewriting that story. In this episode of The Frontline, activists from both sides of the green line that divides Cyprus, talk about how they’re challenging division, confronting rising hate, and reclaiming their space through protest, dialogue, and community care.Recorded at ILGA-Europe’s Annual Conference in October, Stephanos Stavros Evangelides from Accept LGBTI Cyprus in the Republic of Cyprus residing in the southern part, and Reşat Şaban from Queer Cyprus Association, across the Green Line in the northern part of Cyprus, speak about how cooperation between the two organisations has a become a driving force for wider social transformation in Cyprus and beyond.You’ll hear how a movement shaped by occupation, nationalism, and deep social conservatism has grown into a force for unity, equality, and justice. This isn’t just a local struggle, it’s a blueprint for cooperation in the current political context, despite deep differences.Stephanos and Reşat unpack how they collectively take on far-right rhetoric, anti-rights backlash, and navigate post-colonial traumas, all while building bridges across communities and borders. Through their wins, missteps, and lessons learned, they offer practical strategies that activists across Europe and Central Asia can apply right now.If you’re navigating political division, institutional neglect, or rising hostility, this episode gives you an honest, inspiring look at how to stay resilient, and how queer liberation can fuel broader movements for peace and justice.Subscribe to The Frontline for more episodes with LGBTI organisers sharing movement expertise and exploring what effective activism looks like.This episode is part of a series of podcasts, blogs and resources from ILGA-Europe’s Annual Conference in October 2025, looking at what it takes to work across differences to become a united movement for LGBTI human rights in the current political climate.Follow ILGA-Europe's social media and keep up to date with all our work alongside the LGBTI movement in Europe and Central Asia for safety, equality and freedom.·       Instagram·       TikTok·       LinkedIn·       Facebook·       Bluesky·       Our websiteHosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

As LGBTI communities face growing hostility, veteran activist Ailbhe Smyth reflects on how Irish activists united across divides to win a historic referendum victory for marriage equality ten years ago, and what today’s LGBTI organisers can learn from that approach. We’re living in a time of rising authoritarianism, where politicians use LGBTI people as scapegoats to create a common enemy. This moment demands that our movement work across our differences and truly connect with people’s hearts and minds to build understanding, solidarity, and the courage to push back together.Ten years ago in Ireland, the campaign for marriage equality showed what’s possible when a movement chooses connection over division. Groups that had long disagreed on strategy came together with a shared purpose: to speak to people’s hopes, their sense of fairness, and their desire to do right by one another. That spirit of unity and genuine outreach helped lead to an overwhelming vote to include same-sex marriage in the constitutionTen years after Ireland’s landmark marriage equality referendum, this episode of The Frontline offers a powerful and insight rich talk for LGBTI activists, community organisers and anyone working for social change at this moment in time. Ailbhe Smyth, cofounder of the 2015 Marriage Equality campaign and a central figure in Ireland’s feminist and LGBTI movements, shares practical lessons on how to work across differences to build people power, strengthen grassroots organising and create campaigns that win.Recorded at this year’s ILGA Europe Annual Conference in Vilnius, Ailbhe reflects on the strategies behind both the marriage equality victory and the 2018 abortion referendum. Her talk is filled with guidance for activists navigating today’s challenging sociopolitical context, including how to build broad coalitions, how to work across differences, how to mobilise local communities and how to communicate in ways that shift public opinion.This episode is designed for LGBTI organisations, grassroots groups, emerging leaders and movement builders looking for clear and real world organising knowledge. Ailbhe explains what helped Irish activists turn local conversations into national momentum and how campaigners can sustain themselves and their communities through long struggles for equality and human rights.If you are searching for practical strategies for LGBTI organising, examples of successful equality campaigns or inspiration from one of Ireland’s most respected activists, this episode offers grounded and actionable insights you can use immediately.Subscribe to The Frontline for more episodes that support LGBTI organisers, share movement expertise and explore what effective activism looks like across Europe and Central Asia.Follow ILGA-Europe's social media and keep up to date with everything we're doing:InstagramTikTokLinkedInFacebookBlueskyOur websiteHosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In a world where we are all are expected to keep going no matter the cost, what happens when we choose to pause? In this special episode of The Frontline, we explore what it means to truly care for ourselves, particularly at the intersections of queerness, race, and mental health.Joining the conversation are Suranee Abeysuria, Director of Rainbow Mind, a mental health service by and for LGBTQIA+ people in the UK, and Uz Afzal, a senior practitioner and co-creator of Rainbow Mind’s radical self-care programme.From navigating the emotional toll of activism to confronting the layered impacts of racism and homophobia within the asylum system and other racist structures, Suranee and Uz offer hard-won insights and practical tools for sustaining ourselves and our communities.This episode isn’t just about stepping back to heal, it’s about reclaiming power, rewriting the rules of resilience, and a queer revolution grounded in healing.Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

What the latest drops reveal about Europe's future. In this episode of The Frontline, we unpack the major headlines emerging from this year’s Rainbow Map, the annual ranking of European countries based on their legal and policy environments for LGBTI people.Hungary has plunged seven spots to 37th place, following the European Union’s first-ever Pride ban. Organisers have been criminalised, and authorities have been granted sweeping powers, including the use of facial recognition to identify and fine peaceful participants. Close behind, the United Kingdom has dropped six places to 22nd, after a Supreme Court ruling stripped key legal protections from trans people. Meanwhile, Georgia, once a hopeful EU candidate, has fallen seven places to 44th, after passing a harsh legislative package widely seen as mirroring Russian-style crackdowns on LGBTI expression.With expert insights from ILGA-Europe’s advocacy leads Katrin Hugendubel, Belinda Dear, and Cianán Russell, we explore the most significant collective decline in the Rainbow Map’s history. We ask: are Pride bans, court rulings like the UK’s, and other laws erasing LGBTI human rights becoming a wider European trend? And what does this all mean for everyone in Europe, not just LGBTI people? Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

A wave of anti-LGBTI attacks over the past month has sparked mass protests in Italy, as hate-fueled rhetoric from political leaders fuels an increasingly hostile climate. In this episode of The Frontline, we speak with leading activists about the growing crisis.Over the past month, Italy has seen a surge of LGBTI-phobic violence. There have been no less than four hate-motivated attacks in the last four weeks, while hate messages have appeared on the doors of the Cassero LGBTQIA+ centre in Bologna.The attacks have prompted large protests in both Rome and Milan, demanding the government to take urgent action. But all this is taking place at a time when openly LGBT-phobic rhetoric is used by Italy’s leaders, while legislative protection for LGBTI people in Italy is seriously lacking.In this episode activists from Italy speak truth to the alarming rise in hate attacks and how the government is failing to acknowledge the anti-LGBTI motives of the attackers, while at the same time creating a fertile ground for such attacks.Joining us to explore ways forward for the LGBTI movement, and what the EU should be doing, are Roberto Muzzetta from Arcigay, the largest LGBTI organisation in Italy, and Silvia Magino from Associazione Quore, which works with the community in Turin, and Rosario Coco, President of Gaynet, and Italy-wide association working on training and communication on LGBTI issues.Tune in now to stay informed on the situation in Italy, the actions activists are taking in response, and their demands, as the country’s leadership continues to politicise anti-LGBTI sentiment within the European Union.Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.