Niccolò De Vita is a student at University College Dublin, and winner of the EP4U Student Contest in the “Non-Discrimination & Fundamental Rights” policy area. Niccolò’s brief concretely assesses what are the limitations of the current European policies on LGBTQ+ rights, especially considering the limited EU capacities on the issue, and provides concise and actionable recommendations.

Key Findings:

Trans youth in schools are much more likely to face discrimination, harassment, and assault than their cisgender counterparts. LGBTIQ+ people are much more likely to attempt suicide, self-harm or exhibit depressive symptoms due to lack of support and acceptance. This is worsened by lack of parental support, making them 14 times more likely to attempt suicide if they do not have supportive parents. Currently, life for LGBTIQ+ members is remarkably worse – they have much lower self esteem and much lower life satisfaction.