NEDF Advocacy Training: Creativity with a Common Objective

On 2d and 3d of February, 2015 LGL organized the National Equality and Diversity Forum (NEDF) advocacy training for NEDF‘s organizations. The training was designed to increase the NEDF‘s partners‘ skills to actively represent the general objectives and priorities of the forum and it‘s public policy. The two-day training focused on advocacy and engaging in

Labour announces plans to make LGBT-inclusive sex education compulsory

The Labour Party has today announced that it will make Sex and Relationship Education (SRE) compulsory in all state schools, and that it plans to crack down on homophobic bullying. The announcement was made by Shadow Education Secretary Tristram Hunt today at Little Ilford School in London. The plan, as well as making age-appropriate SRE

LGBT employees unable to come out more likely to leave

LGBT employees who feel unable to come out at work more likely to leave their jobs – and cost business millions. Report suggests that the UK economy could save £678m a year if businesses better implement ‘diversity and inclusion’ policies.   Businesses are squandering millions replacing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) employees who quit after

LGBT* persecution in Gambia continues

In December 2014, the White House announced Gambia’s eligibility for trade benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) was suspended. This decision came about due to the Gambian leaders’ enactment of anti-gay policies. Though this strategic action was an important first step, more severe measures must be taken to counter attack the ongoing

Further improvements in family law in Denmark

As of January 1, 2015 adoption by couples in Denmark does no longer require marriage. This is a general revision of the Adoption Act. It is of particular interest to rainbow families who become pregnant by means of home insemination, i.e. not under the responsibility of a health person. In that case, if the same-sex

President Barack Obama has unveiled a new budget proposal, which includes changes to social security which would mean all couples, gay or straight, would be eligible for spousal benefits. The proposed $4 trillion budget would mean even gay couples who live outside of the 36 states which allow same-sex marriage would be allowed to receive

Over a thousand people have attended a protest against a planned ‘conscience clause’ bill, that would permit anti-gay discrimination. DUP minister Paul Givan has tabled a bill in the Northern Ireland Assembly that would effectively exempt people with ‘strongly held’ religious convictions from equality laws– allowing them to discriminate against gay people. LGBT group The Rainbow Project

Poland: Transgender politician to run for President

Poland’s first openly transgender lawmaker reportedly plans to run for President. Anna Grodzka was elected as a Member of Parliament in Poland in 2011, in what is usually a notoriously conservative country. According to Newsweek Poland, the politician confirmed her plans to run for President later this year for the Polish Green party. She said: “Yes, I’ll

Embassies and NGOs to cooperate on “Rainbow Days 2015”

On the 30th January, 2015, the National LGBT* Rights Organization LGL promoted a joint initiative together with the Embassy of Sweden in Vilnius as far as preparations for this year’s celebration of the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT) in Lithuania are concerned. The meeting was hosted in the Swedish Residence and more than

Police Refuses to Start Investigation into Threats Made against LGL

On January 29th, 2015 the national LGBT* rights association LGL received a decision by the Senior Investigator from the Vilnius Country Police Headquarters refusing to start a pre-trial investigation into the previous warning from the Lithuanian MP Algirdas Vaclovas Patackas about LGL facing a “massacre [as] in Paris”. The Senior Investigator concluded that “the Member