Lietuvos gėjų lyga (LGL)

“Utopia, a place doesn’t exist” Festival opens in Minsk

Minsk, January 26th opening of the festival-visibility campaign “Утопія, Месца якога няма” (Eng. “Utopia, a place that doesn’t exist”). A tow week festival organized by DOTYk, Journalist for Tolerance and a group of collaborators features art exhibition, workshops, lectures, performances all dedicated to discuss equality, living in modern Belarus and social vulnerabilities. Utopia or anti-utopia?

EVS Volunteer João: My first impressions in Vilnius

I landed in Vilnius in the 31st of December 2017, just in time for the New Year’s Eve. It felt like a very literal representation of the expression – new year, new life. For the last few months, I have been living in Tenerife, in the Canary Islands. The sun and the beach were a

Kicking off 2018!

We official kicked off the year at LGL, with our first community event – Volunteers Welcome Party + Queer Agenda 2018! With a good turnout, a nice age range and people from different countries, the event started by having everyone present themselves and getting to know each other. Our EVS volunteers followed, with a more

EVS Volunteer Arnold: My first impressions in Vilnius

It has already been five weeks since my arrival in Vilnius. In the meantime, I acclimatised to the seemingly unwelcoming Lithuanian atmosphere and I am gradually getting used to the myriad of unsmiling and unfriendly faces in the streets and shops. I would even say I feel comfortable calling the piece of socialist architecture where

Christmas at the LGBT community centre

This Wednesday‘s evening, at the LGBT community centre, Santa‘s Elves Workshop took place. Just by getting in, I was pleasantly surprised by Michael Bublé’s Christmas album and the surrounding smell of delicious cookies. To top it off, a myriad of happy faces welcomed me in, and wonderful Christmas decorations helped set up the mood. With

Two police raids in LGBT* community gathering places reported this weekend in Minsk

Human rights groups and Belarusian independent media are currently reporting that police raids took place in two clubs frequented by the Minsk LGBT* community on October 21st. “It all happened around midnight,” recalls a witness who was in one of the LGBT* venues, club Burlesque, on on the night from Friday to Saturday when the

Four Homophobic Legislative Initiatives on Lithuanian Parliament’s Autumn Agenda

Returning to the 3rd regular session Lithuanian Parliament preparing is preparing to debate on four legislative amendments and legislative initiatives that would restrict LGBT rights. Even though a certain progress may be observed, as legislative initiatives clearly infringing upon freedoms of association and expression have not been registered, the proposed amendment to the Constitution, Law

LGBT human rights activists from Belarus, Norway and Lithuania meet in Vilnius

The meeting, together with partners from Lithuanian Center for Human Rights and National LGBT rights organization LGL, was dedicated to strengthen networking and cooperation among civil society representatives from Belarus, Norway and  Lithuanian in the framework of the project „Sharing Expertise and Fostering LGBT Human Rights in Belarus“. Representatives of civil society from Belarus had

European Court: Forced Sterilization of Trans People Violates Human Rights

The European Court of Human Rights on Thursday, April 6th, 2017 ruled the forced sterilization of transgender people who are seeking legal recognition of their gender identity violates their human rights. The court, which is in the French city of Strasbourg, issued the ruling in three separate cases that trans people filed against France. Transgender

Dutch Men Hold Hands Against Anti-LGBT Violence

A married couple was attacked by a group of young men while holding hands at night in the city of Arnhem. Straight Dutch men have launched a campaign to hold hands in solidarity. From politicians to police to priests, heterosexual men from the Netherlands have been showing their opposition to anti-LGBT violence by holding hands