Around 2,000 people from across the European Union attended the opening of the gay Euro Games in Budapest this week.

The annual tournament in the Hungarian capital will see LGBT athletes from 34 European countries take part, from 27 June to 1 July.

Support for the event has been led by Ulrike Lunacek and Kinga Goncz, both members of the LGBT intergroup, who attended the opening ceremony with other MEPs.

However, the mayor of Budapest failed to give his support to the event.

The EU's future human rights ambassador is being urged to do more to promote LGBT rights across the world.

The new Special Representative for Human Rights is expected to be appointed by the Foreign Affairs Council at its meeting on 25 June.

The European Commission has published its first ever report into discrimination against transgender and intersex people.

Politicians have welcomed the report which is an analysis of the current EU legal order in relation to trans and intersex people.

Michael Cashman MEP, co-president of the LGBT Intergroup, said: “It’s as thorough an analysis one could hope for and a very powerful contribution both legally and politically.

'Trans and intersex persons’ fundamental rights are the same as everyone else’s and they deserve to be free from discrimination.'

Members of the European Parliament's Intergroup on LGBT Rights have called for an inquiry into a new Hungarian law on religion.

The new law says 'since church institutions are ideologically committed', they may determine their own conditions of employment or termination to maintain their specific identity.

Members of the Intergroup, including chairs Michael Cashman and Ulrike Lunacek, questioned the law's compatibility with the European Commission's non-discrimination standards.

Members of the European Parliament's Intergroup on LGBT Rights have expressed their concern over rising homophobic sentiments in Hungary. Their statement follows reports that police have banned the 2012 Pride march in Budapest and that the Hungarian far-right political party Jobbik has submitted anti-gay laws to the country’s parliament.

A right-wing politician accused of bullying an LGBT rights group is not homophobic, says the UK Independence Party.

Godfrey Bloom MEP was slammed by fellow politicians and gay activists for asking the European Commission to justify the grants given to the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA-Europe), the main European organisation working in favour of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

A right-wing politician accused of homophobia has been branded a 'bully' after challenging how a European gay rights group is funded.

Godfrey Bloom, UK Independence Party MEP, has asked the European Commission to justify the grants given to the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA-Europe), the main European organisation working in favour of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

A petition signed by 250,000 people all over the world urging the European Union to support the human rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in Russia was handed in on Tuesday (13 December).

Activist group AllOut.org gave the document to High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, Baroness Catherine Ashton, and the presidents of the LGBT Intergroup, MEPs Ulrike Lunacek and Michael Cashman, in Strasbourg.