After ten years in the lead, Malta has been overtaken by Spain at the top of ILGA Europe's annual Rainbow Map . The ranking, compiled by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA), compares laws and policies affecting  LGBTQ+ people in 49 countries across Europe and Central Asia. Katrin Hugendubel, Deputy Director of ILGA Europe, told DW  Spain's rise shows what is possible when governments make a  deliberate choice to advance equality  rather than retreat from it. Why Spain moved up European LGBTQ+ rankings Spain's rise reflects a series of measures taken under the left wing government of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. These include new equality laws, national action plans, an independent equal treatment authority and the depathologization of trans identities in healthcare. According to Hugendubel, this progress is particularly significant because it happened despite pressure from far right and conservative forces.…