On the 29th of April, 2015 the EU Court of Justice (EUCJ) ruled that permanently banning men who have had sex with men (MSM) from blood donation, may be justified, depending on the situation in the country. The case got to the EU Court after Mr Léger, a French national, was refused blood donation on

GoFundMe has shut down the crowdfunding page of an anti-gay bakery after they raised nearly $110,000 in donations. After nearly two years in court, an Oregon judge Friday (24 April) recommended that the Christian owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa be fined $135,000 for refusing to bake a wedding cake for a gay couple. Aaron

Northern Ireland Assembly rejects same-sex marriage

Politicians in Stormont have voted against same-sex marriage for the fourth time. The Northern Irish Assembly was discussing same-sex marriage today, after three failed attempts to enact the law. Today’s motion on equal marriage, proposed by Sinn Féin, failed by two votes, with 47 in favour and 49 against. However, same-sex marriage continues to be

Thousands march for gay marriage in Tokyo

Pride festival is extended by two days amid surge in interest in LGBTI issues. Some 3,000 LGBTI people and their allies Sunday (26 April) afternoon marched in Tokyo Rainbow Pride amid calls for Japan to legalize gay marriage. The crowd, many waving rainbow flags and dressed as geishas, paraded through the capital’s entertainment and shopping

Proposed law in Uganda could be used to shut down all pro-gay charities

A new law has been drafted in Uganda that could be used to ban all pro-gay charities and LGBT rights groups. The country’s new Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) bill would give the government the ability to approve, inspect, and dissolve all community groups and NGOs based on a number of criteria – as well as to impose harsh fines. One

University to offer the UK’s first ‘Drag Studies’ course

Edge Hill University is to become the first higher education institution in the UK to offer a course dedicated to the art of drag. Performing arts students at the University will be able to study the ‘Drag Kings and Drag Queens of Performance’ from next year, after a ground-breaking new course was approved. The third-year module will consider a variety

Mexican Supreme Court rules against marriage ban

The Mexican Supreme Court on Wednesday announced it had found a laws banning same-sex marriage are “discriminatory.” A strongly-worded statement the court posted to its website said the majority of the judges who considered a case that challenged portions of the state of Sinaloa’s family code defining marriage between a man and a woman found

Micro Rainbow International secures funding through the European Union for a three-year project to help lift LGBTI people in Brazil out of poverty. Not-for-profit social enterprise Micro Rainbow International (MRI) has announced that is has received funding from the European Union for a three-year project to help alleviate poverty among the LGBTI communities in Brazil.

Let’s get this party started! LGL Celebrates IDAHOT and Rainbow Days 2015

From the 14th to the 20th of May, the National LGBT* Organization LGL is ready to lead off the dance for Rainbow Days and IDAHOT 2015 and proud to offer a wide agenda of political, social, cultural and artistic events in Vilnius, Kaunas and Klaipėda. Please join in! What will happen in Vilnius? We will

LGL’s Representative Spoke at the Council of Europe

On the 21st of April, 2015 trans activists from Ukraine, Turkey, Ireland, France and Lithuania spoke at the Council of Europe on their battle for human rights. The audience heard their testimonies of what it is to live as a trans person in Europe. Tomas Raskevicius, the national LGBT* rights organization LGL, Lithuania: “Trans people’s

Human Rights Conference at Seimas: Equality Policies in Europe and in Lithuania

On Monday the 20th of April, the Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania Seimas hosted a Human Right Conference Equality Policies in Europe and in Lithuania: Current Challenges and Future Perspectives. The event was organized by the National Equality and Diversity forum (NEDF) in cooperation with the Office of Equal Opportunities Ombudsman of the Republic

France ‘refusing to back down’ over sending gay ambassador to the Vatican

France is refusing to back down over the selection of an ambassador – after nominating a gay man to go to Vatican City. It emerged earlier this month that the country’s government had selected openly gay diplomat Laurent Stefanini to head to the home of the Catholic Church – which remains opposed to LGBT rights.