The Fast Lane to Criminalisation: How Global Anti-LGBTI+ Movements Are Accelerating

A new report from Kaleidoscope Trust in support of the Global LGBTI+ Rights Commission warns that the world is witnessing an unprecedented wave of legal and political attacks on LGBTI+ rights.

Titled Legal Battlegrounds: Global LGBTI+ Rights Rollbacks (2016–2025), the report reveals how hard-won gains are being dismantled through legislation, court rulings, and policy shifts that are often justified under the banners of “traditional values,” “child protection,” or “national security.”

The analysis, tracks three key phases of regression:

1. Foundational Restrictions (2016–2020): New laws and constitutional changes limiting recognition and equality.

2. Targeted Exclusion (2021–2022): Bans on LGBTI+ representation in education, media, and public life.

3. Criminalisation (2023–2025): Escalating persecution, with some governments framing LGBTI+ advocacy as extremism.

The report highlights over 37 examples of rollbacks worldwide – from Russia’s ban on the “LGBT movement” to Uganda’s 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Act and new criminalisation laws in Burkina Faso and Mali.

“These reversals are not isolated incidents – they’re part of a coordinated, global pattern,” said Alex Farrow, CEO at Kaleidoscope Trust. “By documenting these trends and inviting public consultation, we aim to equip activists and policymakers with the evidence they need to resist the rollback of equality.”

The report forms the first stage of an international consultation process which will take place through the Global LGBTI+ Rights Commission.

Feedback from civil society, governments, and individuals will inform a final white paper offering a roadmap to defend LGBTI+ rights globally.

🔗 Submit evidence to the consultation