GENEVA, 27 April 2020—UNAIDS and MPact Global Action for Gay Men’s Health and Rights are extremely concerned that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people are being singled out, blamed, abused, incarcerated and stigmatized as vectors of disease during the COVID-19 pandemic. UNAIDS and MPact are also deeply troubled that this discriminatory action is

Let‘s Raise the Rainbow Flag on the Occasion of IDAHOT!

The global COVID-19 pandemic is affecting us all, and imposes a lot of restrictions on campaigning. But physical distancing doesn’t have to mean social distancing! Communities are more important than ever and physical distancing should lead to getting closer socially. May 17th will provide a key opportunity for this, and this how you can make

Recommendations on Investigation of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Came into Force

The methodological recommendations of the new version of the pre-trial investigation regarding hate crimes, inciting hate speech, that were approved by the Prosecutor General‘s Office of the Republic of Lithuania, came into force on the 1st of April, 2020. The recommendations present the concepts of hate crimes and hate speech, the criteria and specifics of

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Baltic Pride festival in Lithuania. On the occasion of this anniversary, it is interesting to remember how the first LGBT community march, which took place in Vilnius on May 8, 2010, was presented in Lithuanian media. According to an article by Darja Davydova written for publication “Changing

2019 was a significant year for the LGBT community because of the important achievements made when defending its rights before national and supranational courts. In this interview, Vytautas Mizaras, a professor of the Faculty of Law in Vilnius University (VU), reviews the major achievements of LGBT human rights over the past year and looks at

LGL Annual Report for 2019 Now Available Online

The National LGBT rights organization LGL is proud to announce the annual report for 2019. Transparency and independence from any political or financial interests are one of the most important goals for our organization in order to achieve effective inclusion and social integration of local LGBT community. LGL’s annual report for 2019 comprehensively presents organization’s

2 videos on the law enforcement response to hate crimes have been published

On 22 February Europe commemorates European Day for Victims of Crime. Unfortunately, in Lithuania hate crimes are often regarded as less significant and dangerous, and despite the regulation established in the Criminal Code of the Republic of Lithuania, the motive of hate is often not considered as an aggravating circumstance. For a more effective law

Lithuanian artist Alen Chicco suffered a homophobic attack in one of Vilnius bars

Last weekend for Tomas Alenčikas-Alen Chicco was extremely uncomfortable – a visit into one of the bars ended in an assault and beating. “No, it is not filter, it’s Lithuania”, after publishing the photo, wrote Alen Chicco. When journalists contacted Tomas, he said that he had been attacked on Sunday night at the “Pilėnai” bar

STRASBOURG OBSERVERS, February 7, 2020 Ingrida Milkaite is a PhD researcher in the research group Law & Technology at Ghent University, Belgium. She is working on the research project ‘A children’s rights perspective on privacy and data protection in the digital age’ (Ghent University, Special Research Fund) and is a member of the Human Rights Centre at the Faculty of Law and

On April 1, 2001, just a few seconds after midnight, Mayor of Amsterdam was the first registrar in the world to marry a gay couple. That night four same-sex couples tied the knot, followed by another 382 who married in the same month. Currently sixteen European countries fully recognize same-sex marriages, while thirteen recognize a