Press release
19/01/2010

Association Lithuanian Gay League addressed the Equal Opportunities Ombudsman of Lithuania Ausrine Burneikiene with a letter urging to take action on discrimination of trans people and include their issues in implementation of equal opportunities politics in Lithuania.

European Court of Human Rights repeatedly acknowledged in its case-law that 14 article of European Convention of Human Rights forbidding discrimination applies to protection of trans people as well, and that discrimination against trans people is considered as discrimination on the grounds of gender.

In Association’s opinion there is still no antidiscrimination politics for trans people in Lithuania. So it urges Office of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsman to:

• Clearly include measures addressing trans equality issues within gender mainstreaming measures; funding programmes; and including the multi-dimensional gender identity and gender expression in internal and external policy;
• Make sure that future gender equality legislation expressly includes gender identity and gender expression
• Help trans people to initiate cases on the ground of discrimination in courts and other institutions;
• Admit complaints from trans people and to make sure these complaints are properly analyzed;
• Fund detailed research and data collection on trans equality and human rights issues;
• Consult and involve trans equality and rights organisations in gender equality and human rights policy development.



Vladimir Simonko
Chair of LGL

Tel. +370 612 58211