The National LGBT* rights organization LGL proudly presents the social videos of its ongoing social campaign #TRANS_LT, aimed at increasing the visibility of transgender people in Lithuanian society. The social videos, filmed by a creative team of LGL and local movie director Romas Zabarauskas, feature the members of the local trans* community sharing the challenges they face due to the non-existing procedure of legal gender recognition in Lithuania and inviting the viewers to sign a special online petition, seeking to encourage the Lithuanian legislators and policy makers to establish quick, transparent and accessible gender reassignment procedure.
The online petition, launched in cooperation with the online human rights platform manoteises.lt, encourages the policy and decision makers to develop comprehensive legislative solutions with the view of implementing human rights standards for transgender individuals, i.e. to create quick, transparent and accessible gender reassignment procedure in Lithuania, encompassing not only the possibility of changing one’s identity documents, but also the provision of appropriate health care services tailored to the specific needs of transgender individuals. The supporters of the online petition also urge to create the possibility of changing one’s identity documents without the compulsory gender reassignment surgery, thus abolishing the requirement of forced medical treatment.
>>> SIGN THE ONLINE PETITION HERE <<<
At the moment Lithuania is the only member state within the framework of the Council of Europe, which does not provide for either de facto or de jure procedure of gender reassignment. Currently seventeen European countries – including Estonia, Finland, Sweden and Denmark – provide for the possibility of legal gender recognition without the compulsory requirement of gender reassignment surgery. That kind of recognition is essential in seeking successful integration in the economic and social life of the country. Furthermore, not all transgender people want to change their gender surgically. In order to indicate that the currently proposed legislation is not sufficient for ensuring the effective implementation of the right to legal gender recognition the signatories of the petition will be delivered to the Lithuanian Parliament and other relevant stakeholders during the Parliament’s spring session.
„I cannot simply show my identity card without facing difficult situations. It is very challenging and I do not believe that it should be that way,“ stresses one of the members of the local trans* community featured in LGL‘s social videos. Don’t be indifferent: SIGN the online petition on the absence of gender reassignment procedure in Lithuania. The best time to initiate the change is NOW!
More information about LGL’s social videos can be accessed here.
