Achievements
What we delivered so far…
JUNE 2019
6 friends founded the Fund Forbidden Colours at the King Baudouin Foundation. It is the first-ever fund for LGBTIQ+ equality at Belgium’s largest philanthropy organisation.
JUNE 2020
The first 7 LGBTIQ+ equality projects in the fields of education, health, integration and work were funded for over over €26.000 in cooperation with the King Baudouin Foundation.
JANUARY 2021
Forbidden Colours NPO was founded. The non-profit organisation is responsible for the communication, fundraising and lobby work linked to the work of the Fund Forbidden Colours.
APRIL 2021
Forbidden Colours hires its first employee. LGBTIQ+ politics expert Rémy Bonny starts as its first-ever executive director.
JUNE 2021
Forbidden Colours is the first in the world to reveal the news of a new far-reaching anti-LGBTIQ+ law in Hungary. The law, and Forbidden Colours, received a lot of international media attention. Heads of European governments reacted very strongly against the law after Forbidden Colours broke the news.
Forbidden Colours in the media:
JUNE 2021
Forbidden Colours welcomes MINI BeLux as its first supporting partner for a year long of Pride.
JULY 2021
SEPTEMBER 2021
After two years of advocacy by Forbidden Colours’ Rémy Bonny, the European Commission announces financial sanctions against the ‘LGBT Free Zones’-regions in Poland. Two weeks after the announcement, 4 out of 5 regions repealed their anti-LGBTIQ+ resolutions.
Forbidden Colours in the media:
OCTOBER 2022
Forbidden Colours warns members of the U.S. Congress for misleading tactics by the European anti-LGBTIQ+ movement to gain support by organising and inviting Members to ‘National Prayer Breakfasts’. U.S. Senator Tim Kaine announced he won’t accept any invitations anymore by those groups.
Forbidden Colours in the media:
DECEMBER 2021
The Brussels-Capital Region announced that they will donate €60.000,00 to Forbidden Colours to support the Polish and Hungarian LGBTIQ+ communities in 2022. Forbidden Colours will use the money to support Budapest Pride and the Polish LGBTIQ+ Friendly School Ranking.
Forbidden Colours in the media:
JANUARY 2022
Forbidden Colours started a Europe-wide campaign against a new law de-facto prohibiting LGBTIQ+ inclusive education in Poland with the hashtag “#WolnaSzkola“ (‘Free Schools’). Many politicians from all democratic political parties in the European Parliament took part in the campaign. Media from across the world mentioned and interviewed Forbidden Colours regarding the topic. In March 2022, Polish President Andrzej Duda has vetoed the law after extensive campaigning by Forbidden Colours’ and its partner organisation GrowSpace.
Forbidden Colours in the media:
FEBRUARY 2022
JULY 2022
After a year of advocating by Forbidden Colours, the European Commission announced that they will take the Hungarian government to the European Court of Justice on its anti-LGBTIQ+ law. It is the first time in the history of the EU that the Commission takes an anti-LGBTIQ+ initiative to the Court. The Court could annul the law.
Forbidden Colours in the media:
SEPTEMBER 2022
Forbidden Colours was very active during the EuroPride 2022 which took place in Belgrade that year. As plenty of media have reported, the Serbian authorities were trying to ban the Pride March from taking place. Forbidden Colours was crucial in increasing the international pressure on the Serbian government. Besides that, several representatives of Forbidden Colours took part and organised events in Belgrade. These events were attended by, amongst others, Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Petra De Sutter, Belgian Senate President Stephanie D’Hose and several members of (the European) Parliament. With the support of the Brussels Capital Region, Forbidden Colours was also able to donate €10.000,00 for the organisation of EuroPride 2022.
Forbidden Colours in the media:
APRIL 2023
After months of campaigning and advocacy with out partner organizations RECLAIM and Hatter, Forbidden Colours built the largest lawsuit in the history of the European Union. 16 EU member states and the European Parliament joined the court case initiated by the European Commission, after an intensive campaign by Forbidden Colours, against Hungary’s anti-LGBTIQ+ law. This is a ground-breaking case on many levels. It shows that a majority of EU member states representing a big majority of EU citizens see LGBTIQ+ rights as a core norm and value of the EU. For many member states, including France, this was the first time to join such a court procedure against another member state in their legal history. The ruling is expected in the summer of 2024.
Forbidden Colours in the media:
OCTOBER 2023
We launched a new flagship project, called ‘United4Diversity’ during our first international conference in Brussels. It created an intersectional network of LGBTIQ+ & human rights defenders, academics, corporate leaders, and policymakers to tackle the anti-democratic and anti-rights movements in Europe. Our goal is to bring together leaders from all fields to counter the threats to inclusive societies and democracy from across Europe and the United States. For 2024, we already have planned follow-up conferences and trainings in Washington DC, Milan, and Amsterdam.
The project was support and in partnership with the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Belgian National Lottery, the King Baudouin Foundation and visit.Brussels.
APRIL 2024
Forbidden Colours launched a ground-breaking research project ahead of the European Elections of 2024, called Queer Your EU. Unveiling the role & impact of EU institutions on the fundamental rights of LGBTIQ+ people, it provided a comprehensive analysis and calls for action towards a more inclusive and diverse European political landscape.
