On Wednesday, 13th October, 2006, the European Parliament played host to ILGA-Europe and IGLYO. Anyone who had arrived late at the media launch event for the report on social exclusion of LGBT youth would have had to stand up - the room was so packed that by the end the only space left were standing spots.

With a strong presence from interested Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), along with the officers of the Intergroup on Gay and Lesbian Rights, the audience listened as report author Judith Takács explained both the motivations behind the research and the shocking results that were found from the survey conducted. With hundreds of responses, the small-scale survey is one of the first pan-European studies on the phenomenon of LGBT youth social exclusion within the Union. 

That more than half of LGBT students encountered discrimination in so many different outlets (school, family, peer groups, religious institutions) shocked MEPs. Session chair and Vice President of the Intergroup Sophie In't Veld, moved by the accounts of survey respondents, promised concrete follow-up actions. The presentation and the call to action delivered by Social Inclusion Steering Committee leaders Björn van Roozendaal and Evelyne Paradis galvanised MEPs attending the audience.

The MEPs promised that concrete actions would take place in response to the report's findings. Michael Cashman, President of the Intergroup on Gay and Lesbian Rights invited the authors from ILGA-Europe and IGLYO to contribute to an action plan by providing examples of very specific actions that MEPs could undertake to improve the situation. Jean Lambert, Member of the European Parliament, also recommended that a written declaration be drafted and put to the Assembly of the European Parliament to raise awareness and bring Parliamentary support.

The press event has been a huge success - news of the report and its findings have spread as far as the United States. Within the Intergroup on Gay and Lesbian Rights, it has been agreed that social exclusion of LGBT young people will be a priority campaign for the next six months. Sophie In't Veld has also set an appointment, in a year's time, a follow-up meeting will be arranged to discuss progress on the social exclusion dossier.