Cyprus remains unsafe for LGBTQ+: new discrimination report

Cyprus continues to display persistent intolerance toward the LGBTQ+ community, evident across various sectors — from healthcare to social protection. These are the findings of a report by the European program “Protecting the Right of LGBTIQ+ People to Health” (Safe-R), prepared by the University of Nicosia, the Cyprus Family Planning Association, Accept LGBTIQI Cyprus, and several other partners.

The study revealed that a significant portion of LGBTQ+ people in Cyprus delay or entirely avoid seeking medical or psychological help. The main reasons include prejudice from healthcare professionals, negative past experiences, and fear of being misunderstood or judged because of sexual orientation or gender expression. According to the data, 17% of respondents avoid healthcare due to doctors’ prejudice, 15% because of past negative experiences, and 6% because of their sexual identity or gender expression.

The report’s authors note that discrimination most often appears in indirect forms — through administrative barriers, insufficient staff training, and the lack of unified standards that reflect the diversity of gender identities. Transgender and non-binary individuals face particularly severe difficulties: from undergoing gender reassignment procedures and hormone therapy to finding specialists willing to provide respectful and understanding care.

In rural areas, the situation worsens. There are fewer specialists, greater confidentiality issues, and stronger social prejudices. This further restricts access to adequate care.

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The report also highlights mental health. About 24% of study participants reported having a mental disorder, and 43% had already sought help from psychologists or psychotherapists. However, many professionals lack sufficient training in LGBTQ+ issues, creating risks of misunderstanding, stigmatization, or inadequate care.

Furthermore, Cyprus lacks an effective and accessible mechanism to register cases of discrimination or abuse based on sexual orientation or gender identity. As a result, many incidents remain outside official attention and receive no proper response.

At the same time, the report points to positive dynamics: there is potential for reforms and recognition of the problem both within the LGBTQ+ community and among healthcare workers. Improving the situation requires institutional intervention — enhancing legislation, training medical staff, developing official protocols, expanding access to specialized information, and creating safe channels for reporting discrimination.

The study included 125 LGBTQ+ representatives for quantitative analysis, 55 healthcare workers and medical students. For the qualitative part, 19 community members and 8 medical professionals were interviewed.