Prejudices, stereotypes and hatred affect the full recognition of dignity and freedom of citizens because of their homosexual or bisexual orientation, or because they are transgender. Despite clear EU principles and since 1st December 2009 their clearly binding nature under the Nice Charter, not all Member States ensure the proper implementation of the measures required by the European Union to remove all unlawful distinctions based on sexual orientation. In some cases this social and geographic inequality seems particularly difficult to eradicate. Ho-mophobic attitudes and discrimination manifest themselves in public and in private life: workplace, schools, within the family, friends, when addressing public authorities, on the political scene. The project EQUAL JUS – European network for the legal support of LGBT rights, partly financed by the EU Commission under the Programme “Fundamental Rights and Citizenship 2007-2013″ sought to combat homophobia and transphobia by moving from a general analysis of the fundamental rights as recognized by and within the EU and aimed at reaching an increasing awareness among people that European citizenship includes a new dimension for protection of fundamental rights and a push for social inclusion of all individuals. The partners of the Equal Jus Project were the University of Udine – Department of Legal Sciences (Italy) to-gether with Avvocatura per i diritti LGBTI (Italy, leading partner), IMED Istituto per il Mediterraneo (Italy), KPH Kampania Przeciw Homofobii (Poland), Réseau d'aide aux victimes d'agression et de discrimination (RAVAD) (France), Lithuanian Gay League (LGL) (Lithuania), SOS - Homophobie (France), Haute Autorité de Lutte contre les Discriminations et pour l‟Égalité (HALDE) (France, Associate partner).

The project ended in May 2011.

Avvocatura per i diritti LGBTI however decided to continue alone updating the website and its legal database from June 2011 onwards.