Guernsey would rank 32nd in European LGBTQ+ rights, says charity launching community survey
- Liberate Guernsey calculates the island would rank 32nd out of 50 European jurisdictions for LGBTQ+ rights using ILGA-Europe criteria
- The charity has launched the first comprehensive survey of Channel Islands LGBTQ+ lives, with over 120 responses so far
- An estimated 6,000 LGBTQ+ people may live in the Channel Islands based on UK statistics
- Two writing competitions are running during Pride Month, including one offering a £100 prize
- A UK Government petition will open calling for a public inquiry into Section 28's lasting impact
A local LGBTQ+ charity has calculated that Guernsey would place 32nd out of 50 European jurisdictions for LGBTQ+ rights, as it launches the first comprehensive survey of Channel Islands LGBTQ+ lives during Pride Month.
Liberate Guernsey made the assessment using criteria from ILGA-Europe's rainbow map, which tracks legal protections and equality measures across the continent. The charity said Guernsey still lacks basic legislation that most European countries have introduced.
The announcement comes as the UK's own ranking has declined sharply, falling from first place in 2015 to 22nd in 2026 on the same index. Last year, the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention issued a red flag alert on anti-trans and intersex rights in the UK.
Ellie Jones, chief executive of Liberate Guernsey, said rising anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment was having local effects.
"We have been seeing more instances of dehumanisation, hate, and exclusion of LGBTQ+ people the past couple years, mostly coming from UK and US politics and media," Jones said.
"The knock on effect of this imported rhetoric locally is very obvious when you overhear conversations or look at local comments on social media. While Trans people, particularly trans women, have been bearing the brunt of it, we know from past experience that normalising this behaviour or these attitudes impacts the whole community."
The charity has launched the Channel Islands LGBTQ+ Community Survey during Pride Month, which it describes as potentially the first comprehensive data set about local LGBTQ+ lives. The survey is open to all Channel Islanders who identify as LGBTQ+, including those who have left the islands.
More than 120 people have already responded. Based on UK Office of National Statistics figures showing 3.7 per cent of people aged 16 and over identify as LGB, and using population data from Statistics Jersey and Guernsey's Facts and Figures booklet, Liberate Guernsey estimates there may be over 6,000 LGBTQ+ Channel Islanders.
"Other places like the UK and US are obviously really bad at the minute, and things we're hearing about here are mostly anecdotal. So we wanted to get a proper understanding about Channel Islander LGBTQ+ lives," Jones said.
"It is really ambitious, but we think it might be the first time we've had a proper data set like this for local LGBTQ+ people and issues."
Survey respondents can opt to be included in a prize draw for tickets to all Channel Islands Pride 2026 surrounding events.
The charity is also running two writing competitions during Pride Month. The sixth Channel Islands LGBTQ+ Writing Competition offers a £100 voucher prize and runs throughout June. A separate poetry competition, Word is OUT!, offers the chance to be published in an independent zine.
The writing competition was first launched in 2021 to coincide with 50 years of UK Pride. It was originally conceived by an anonymous Liberate team member who read The Lie, William Dameron's account of hiding his homosexuality. Dameron has since served as a panel judge in the competition.
A UK Government petition will also open this Pride Month calling for a public inquiry into the impact of Section 28, legislation that prohibited the "promotion" of homosexuality, mainly in education, from 1988 until its repeal in 2003.
Jones said Pride Month remained necessary despite some advancements in LGBTQ+ rights.
"Pride Month is still necessary because, despite some advancements, Section 28 is still so recent and its impacts are still strongly felt - particularly for those of us who lived through it," she said.
"Unfortunately, our human rights are still under threat. Erasure and inequality still exist. As does massive stigma, misconceptions, and scapegoating.
"We are under attack again and still can't just exist in peace and dignity. And trust me, we're sick of having the LGBTQ+ community broadcasted all over the news constantly too."
Jones described Pride Month as existing not just for celebration, but to mark the ongoing struggle for LGBTQ+ inclusion, visibility, representation and equality.
More information about the survey, writing competitions and Pride events is available on Liberate Guernsey's social media channels and at linktr.ee/liberategsy and linktr.ee/CIPrideX.
Q&A
Q: Where would Guernsey rank in European LGBTQ+ rights?
A: Liberate Guernsey calculated that Guernsey would place 32nd out of 50 European jurisdictions using ILGA-Europe's criteria, as the island still lacks some basic legislation that most of Europe have introduced.
Q: How many LGBTQ+ people are estimated to live in the Channel Islands?
A: Based on UK Office of National Statistics figures showing 3.7% of people aged 16 and over identify as LGB, and local population data, Liberate Guernsey estimates there may be over 6,000 LGBTQ+ Channel Islanders.
Q: What is the Channel Islands LGBTQ+ Community Survey?
A: It is the first comprehensive survey of Channel Islands LGBTQ+ lives, launched by Liberate Guernsey during Pride Month. It is open to all Channel Islanders who identify as LGBTQ+, including those who have left the islands, and has received over 120 responses so far.
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