Paris 2025

The European Tolerantia Awards 2025 are presented as joint prizes by SOS homophobie (France), Lambda-Warszawa (Poland), MANEO (Germany) and The Rainbow Project (Northern Ireland).

The European Tolerantia Awards, conferred since 2006, are a joint initiative of the organisations MANEO (Germany), SOS homophobie (France), Lambda-Warszawa (Poland) and The Rainbow Project (Northern Ireland). The awarding organisations are members of the European Alliance Against Homophobia (Berlin Alliance), which was founded by organisations from Germany, France and Poland in Berlin in 2005. The Rainbow Project from Northern Ireland joined the alliance in 2014.Our organisations stand up tirelessly for individuals who have suffered marginalisation, discrimination and violent assaults and who are seeking help. The award winners are nominated by an independent jury in each country. Individuals, institutions and groups are recognised for outstanding engagement that underscores democratic principles such as equality, solidarity, societal diversity and tolerance as well as dedication to countering homophobia, racism and all forms of group-based hatred in their own country, Europe and beyond. The Tolerantia Awards are conferred annually by the member organisations at an awards ceremony held in one of the capital cities. The events are organised exclusively by volunteers and funded through donations and sponsoring. 

The Tolerantia Awards 2025 will be presented on 6^th of December 2025 in Paris.

Here, we introduce all laureates: 

The European Tolerantia Awards 2025 are presented as joint prizes by SOS homophobie (France), Lambda-Warszawa (Poland), MANEO (Germany) and The Rainbow Project (Northern Ireland).

France

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence & The Gouincourt Prize

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence thus undertake a vast project: to atone for shame through joy, to spread love to combat hate, and also to support and protect the most vulnerable.

For years, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence have accompanied us through all our major moments: those of joy, those of sorrow, our moments of mourning, and our moments of celebration, in times of progress as well as in times of terror.

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence have co-written, alongside activists and organizations, our LGBTQIA+ history of recent decades.

SOS homophobie has therefore chosen to present a Tolerantia Award to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence for their tireless work for over thirty years in France, for their ability to persevere and never give in to increasingly hostile environments, and for their unwavering presence in all LGBTQIA+ struggles.

● ● ● ● ● ●

Lauriane Nicol is the founder of the media outlet Lesbien raisonnable, and Alex Lachkar is a researcher specializing in contemporary queer literature. They organized this prize to finally offer a prominent platform to lesbian literature, which has flourished for several years yet remains neglected by traditional institutions, and also to showcase the plurality of voices within it.

SOS homophobie chose to recognize the Gouincourt Prize and its creators both for the work of increasing visibility that the Prize represents, for the execution of a bold and necessary project, and for the defiant gesture it represents toward academic institutions that give far too little consideration to queer identities.

We also hope, through this award, to encourage the continuation of this project in the years to come.

Well done, lesbians!

Contact: Julia Torlet, President SOS homophobie
Mail:  bureau [at ] sos-homophobie. org
Home: www.sos-homophobie.org 

Germany

Berlin Police

We expressly honour the worthy commitment of all those police officers within the Berlin Police force who, on a daily basis, have confronted and continue to confront hate and violence in our city, who have worked and continue to work tirelessly to ensure that the authority develops and transforms itself and who with great dedication and determination have protected and continue to protect our diverse society, our freedom, our fundamental rights and thus our democracy. In this way, the Berlin Police took on a role model function among German security authorities at an early stage. And it still has this function today.

In 1990 the Berlin Police designated a first contact person for “same-sex ways of life”, initially without any responsibilities or competences. That position changed in 1992 as part of an out of court settlement reached in a legal action brought by Mann-O-Meter e.V. against the Federal State of Berlin. The role of contact person, introduced provisionally in 1990, now became officially recognised and was endowed with responsibilities. Today, the Berlin Police has over 90 LGBTIQ+ contact persons and multipliers within the authority, not only in the criminal investigation department but also in the directorates, precincts and at the Police Academy.

The commitment within the authority to diversity and dialogue with civil society deserves particular emphasis. It must be kept in mind that, following the complete repeal of Section 175 of the Criminal Code, which criminalised sexual relations between males until 1994 in former West Germany, and in light of the continued police discrimination and denigration of homosexuality also in former East Germany, the authority had to free itself from its law enforcement role in this area. Important contributions resulted from the self-critical engagement by police officers with the authority’s work. This includes not least the historical reappraisal of the authority’s past, for example, the ongoing search for the remains of four police officers in Spandau who, shortly before the end of World War II, were murdered by Nazi henchmen on account of their homosexuality and interred anonymously. This includes the fact that in 1998 this authority took steps to establish a fixed teaching component in the curriculum of the Police Academy and the Berlin School of Economics and Law. This includes furthermore the continuous participation of different LGBTIQ contact persons at scene events and pro-active work on the ground at scene locations, together with projects from the LGBTIQ scenes. This includes different forms of dialogue with different scene actors, participation at round tables, including discussions with the Berlin-Brandenburg Chapter of the Association of Lesbian and Gay Police Officers, in particular also the exchange of statistical information with MANEO practised until 2021, development of criteria to improve the recognition of anti-LGBTIQ violence, of measures to improve the prevention of violence and victim protection within our LGBTIQ scenes and to reduce the considerable number of hidden cases of hate attacks on LGBTIQ people. This included also participation in the EU project Tracing and Tackling Hate Crime Against LGBT People (2009-2012) and the development of a flyer for use in police work. This includes the first raising of a rainbow flag in 2008 by the Berlin Police Commissioner, together with MANEO, in front of the police headquarters and his personal involvement in responding to numerous critical voices within the authority. This includes also the involvement and expertise of the Berlin Police, a contributory factor in then Berlin Senator for the Interior, Andreas Geisel, placing anti-LGBTIQ hate crime on the agenda for the Conference of Ministers of the Interior and which led, in addition, to the establishment of a working group in the Federal Ministry of the Interior on fighting homophobic and transphobic violence to develop recommendations for that ministerial conference.

Although this process is not yet complete and considerable potential remains, we wish to honour the results achieved thus far. Today we view the Berlin Police as part of a law enforcement authority which is serious in its commitment to fight hate crime of every kind. The LGBTIQ communities have gained trust too. However, this trust must be renewed in daily work.

The way in which a large police authority is capable of transformation is demonstrated, in particular, by the Berlin Police and its approach to anti-LGBTIQ discrimination and hate crime. The struggle for societal tolerance and personal acceptance remains, which is why the commitment and dedication within a police authority must not end. In honouring the Berlin Police, we wish also to underscore our hope that they will continue along this route. We will continue to accompany this process with our – sometimes critical – ideas and suggestions.

Contact: Bastian Finke, Director of MANEO
Mail: bastian.finke [at ] maneo. de
Home: www.maneo.de 

Poland

Mirosława Makuchowska

A sociologist by education and an activist by vocation, Mirka joined Campaign Against Homophobia (KPH) in 2005, beginning her journey as a local activist in Wrocław. Over the years, she became not only a leader, mentor, and spokesperson, but also a symbol of perseverance and faith in change. Her voice has resonated in Polish media, the Sejm, and international forums, always grounded in empathy and deep connection with the community she represents.

During her 20 years at KPH, Mirka Makuchowska played a central role in building one of the most significant organizations advancing LGBTQIAP rights in Poland.

She began by developing local chapters across the country, creating a network of 12 community branches that brought visibility and support to places where it had never existed before. As advocacy coordinator and later as the director of KPH, she led strategic campaigns, educational programs, and policy initiatives that profoundly transformed the social and political landscape for LGBTQIAP people in Poland.

Her leadership has always combined strategic vision with empathy. She empowered hundreds of activists, trained thousands of teachers, professionals, and public servants, and spoke out fearlessly in defense of equality – even in the most hostile political climate.

Beyond her work at KPH, Mirka has also contributed to the international movement for equality as a board member of ILGA-Europe and as a founding member of the Polish Consultative Council during the 2020 civic protests, standing in solidarity with broader struggles for democracy and human rights.

In every role, Mirka embodied integrity, courage, and humanity. Her departure from KPH marks the end of an era – but the structures she built, the people she inspired, and the hope she sustained will continue to guide the movement for years to come.

Lambda Warszawa proudly honors Mirosława Makuchowska with the Tolerantia Award 2025 in recognition of her extraordinary contribution to the advancement of LGBTQIAP rights and her unwavering commitment to equality, justice, and solidarity.

We express our deepest gratitude for her 20 years of dedication, leadership, and heart. Through her work, Mirka has not only helped build a strong and independent movement – she has also shown that change begins with community, courage, and compassion.

Her legacy reminds us that hope is not a feeling but a choice – one that Mirka made, again and again, for two decades, paving the way for a more inclusive Poland.

Lambda Warszawa celebrates her as a true leader, mentor, and ally whose impact will endure far beyond her time at KPH.

Contact:

Lambda Warszawa, board-member Paweł Mamzer
Mail: pmamzer [@ ] lambdawarszawa.org
Home: www.lambdawarszawa.org 

Northern Ireland

Lady Portia Di Monte

Earlier this year, Lady Portia was subject to an appalling campaign of mis and disinformation surrounding a “Drag Queen Story Time” event in East Belfast, including from local Government ministers. It began with misinformation spreading through social media ahead of the Story Time event, which was aimed at families and children and had taken place every year as part of the East Side Arts Festival.

This misinformation spiralled into a protest targeting the event and particularly the queens involved, with police attending the scene and escorting the families and the queens safely out of the venue. Local politicians, including the Communities Minister Gordon Lyons, waded in to express their belief that events like these are “not appropriate for children”.

Following the protest and the discussion, Lady Portia was subject to degrading and personal attacks on her character on social media, the likes of which many of us will be familiar with as LGBTQIA+ people and activists. The public discourse and inflammatory comments by politicians contributed to this social media campaign against her, and Lady Portia is currently taking legal action on some of the most inflammatory and degrading remarks made online.

Despite this negativity, the LGBTQIA+ community in Belfast and across Northern Ireland rallied around her, with almost £10,000 raised to support her legal action, and messages of support and solidarity being shared from countless individuals within and outside the community.

This response showed the impact that Lady Portia has had within our community – over the years, she has provided entertainment, laughter, and support to LGBTQIA+ people in Belfast and across Northern Ireland. Whether it be by providing a listening ear to those in need, makeup tutorials for trans individuals, shopping trips for those who maybe didn’t feel comfortable going on their own, and raising thousands of pounds to support our work in The Rainbow Project, our community has seen the impact Lady P has had and rallied around to support. 

It is for all these reasons and more that we at The Rainbow Project were delighted to select Marcus Hunter-Neill, Lady Portia Di Monte, as our 2025 Tolerantia Award Winner.

Contact: Scott Cuthbertson, Director of The Rainbow Project
Mail: director [at ] rainbow-project. org
Home: www.rainbow-project.org 

LAUREATES FROM FRANCE

• 2006 Dr. Louis-George Tin, LGBT*- and Anti-Racism-activist, founder of the IDAHOT; 
• 2007 the play Place des mythos/Delusion Square a musical comedy
• 2008 Bruno Solo, journalist, and actor, producer of TV series “Caméra café” and “Kaamelott”
• 2009 Paris Foot Gay soccer club
• 2010 Caroline Mécary, lawyer 
• 2011 Olivier Dussopt PS (Parti Socialiste), MP of the French National Assembly Franck Riester UMP (L’Union pour un mouvement populaire), MP of the French National Assembly
• 2012 Véronique Eledut, teacher at Lycée JB Corot in Paris
• 2013 Le Petit Journal a daily TV news show hosted by Yann Barthès
• 2014 „www.projet17mai.com“ a collaborative website presenting cartoons against homo-phobia in France
• 2015 Irène Théry sociologist, member of the ‘Haut Conseil de la Famille’
• 2016 Amnesty International France
• 2017 Stéphane Corbin, French composer and singer Océane Rosemarie French singer, humorist, actress and director
• 2018 Christiane Taubira, former Minister of Justice
• 2019 Collective Intersex Persons and Allies – CIA Organisation of Intersex Persons and Allies
• 2020 Jacques Toubon, Ombudsman in France, Defender of Rights
• Giovanna Ricon, Activist for Trans*persons
• 2021 Elise Goldfarb and Julia Layani, LGBTIQ+ Allies and Consulting entrepreneur
• 2022 Jérémy Clamy Edrox, rugby player in the French national rugby union team
• 2023 Sarah Brethes, Mathieu Magnaudeix and David Perrotin, documentary filmmaker
• “Guet apens, des crimes invisibles”
• 2024 Barbara Butch, French DJ, and Thomas Jolly, French actor and theatre and opera director

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

LAUREATES FROM POLAND

• 2006 Kazimierz Kutz, Senator in the Polish Senate
• 2007 Piotr Pacewicz, Journalist and civil-rights activist
• 2008 Marzanna Pogorzelska, Teacher
• 2009 Prof. Zbigniew Hołda, Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights
• 2010 Izabela Jaruga-Nowacka, posthum, former vice primier of Poland (she died at the age of  59 on 10.04.2010 as a passenger in an air-crash in Smolensk)
• 2011 Adam Bodnar, LL.M., Ph.D. Head of the Department of Legal Affairs at the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights
• 2012 Dr. Katarzyna Bojarska, Professor at the Institue of Psychology of the University of Gdansk, and „No Taboo”, the Psychosexual Health Centre in Gdansk
• 2013 Ewa Siedlecka Journalist
• 2014 Monika Płatek Profdessor at the Institute of Criminal Law of the University of Warsaw
• 2015 Ewa Wanat Radio journalist and television personality
• 2016 Ilona Łepkowska Screenwriter, member of the Polish Film Academy, president of Television Association ‘Serial’
• 2017 Elizbieta Szczesna, founder of the Association “Akceptacja” (Acceptance) Association of Families and Friends of LGBTs in Poland
• 2018 The Polish LGBT+ community
• 2019 Bartosz Staszewski, LGBTIQ+ activist and filmmaker
• 2020 Andrzej Selerowicz, social activist for gays and lesbians
• 2021 Katarzyna Augustynek, Master of Laws and foreign languages instructor
• 2022 Thomasz Baczkowski, LGBTIQ+ activist and key driver for equality rights in Poland
• 2023 Robert Biedroń, Polish politican (SLD), MEP and journalist.
• 2024 Renata Kim, investigativ journalist, women’s rights and LSBTIQ+ activist

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

LAUREATES FROM GERMANY

• 2006 Volker Beck, member of the German Parliament for the Green Party
• Günter Dworek, activist in the gay and lesbian movement
• 2007 The “Human Rights and Sexual Identity (MERSI)” a group of Amnesty International
• 2008 Tanja Walther, sports scientist Philipp Lahm, captain of the German national football team Dr. Theo Zwanziger, president of the German football federation DFB 
• 2009 Hans-Wolfram Stein, teacher in Bremen
• 2010 Wieland Speck and Mabel Aschenneller, producers of the international LGBT-Film Award TEDDY
• 2011 Lala Süsskind, Chairperson of the Jewish Community of Berlin
• 2012 Elfi Scho-Antwerpes, Mayoress of Cologne
• 2013 Maria Sabine Augstein, lawyer and trans*-activist
• 2014 Cornelius “Corny” Littmann, entrepreneur, entertainer, theater owner (Schmidt Theater) and former President (2002 to 2010) of Hamburg’s football club FC St. Pauli
• 2015 Klaus Wowereit, former Governing Mayor of Berlin (2001-2014)
• 2016 The Protestant Church in Berlin, Brandenburg and Silesian Upper Lusatia (EKBO) The Protestant Church in Hesse and Nassau EKHN), The Protestant Church in the Rhineland
• 2017 Heiko Maas, German Federal Minister of Justice and Consumer Protection
• 2018 Johannes Kram, author, lyricist, blogger and marketing strategist
• 2019 Open for Business an international network of companies
• 2020 Dunja Hayali, Journalis
• 2021 Dieter Reiter, Mayor of Munich
• 2022 Seyran Ateş, feminist, lawyer and writer, founder of the liberal ‘Ibn Rushd-Goethe-Mosque’ in Berlin
• 2023 Dr. Bertold Höcker, Protestant theologian, LGBTIQ+ activist in the Protestant Church
• 2024 Güner Balcı, journalist, writer, TV documentarist, integration commissioner of Berlins district Neukölln

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

LAUREATES FROM NORTHERN IRELAND

• 2015 Máirtín Ó Muilleoir, member of the Northern Ireland Assembly, SF, Lord Mayor of Belfast from (2013-2014)
• 2016 Marry Mc Aleese, President of the Republic of Ireland (1997-2011)
• 2017 Chris Hudson, minister for All Soul’s Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church in South Belfast
• 2018 Bronagh Waugh, Northern Irish Actress
• 2019 Lyra McKee posthum, Journalist and LGBTQI+ Rights Campaigner (she was fatally shot during rioting in the Creggan area of Derry in 2019)
• 2020 Love EQUALITY Campaign for Equal Marriage in Northern Ireland
• 2021 Les Allamby, Chief Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission
• 2022 Cara McCann, Director of HERe NI and resolute voice for women and trans inclusion
• 2023 Annette Whelan, advocate for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion within workspace, leading LGBTQIA+ Employee Resource Groups
• 2024 Gareth Johnston, senior Civil Servant in the Northern Ireland Civil Service