Baltic States have joined 35 other countries in a statement of support coinciding with the 28th Budapest Pride Festival in Hungary. Issued by the U.S. Embassy in Hungary, the statement is in effect a call for Budapest to rescind legislative amendments which are seen as discriminating against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI+) persons

For the first time in Lithuania’s history, three same-sex couples are going to court to defend their right to start a family and register their marriage in Lithuania. According to the Association of Tolerant Youth, which initiated these strategic cases, they aim to resolve the main obstacles in recognizing and regulating these couples’ relationships. “When

Russia must create a “legal framework” for same-sex couples, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled  on 17 January 2023 in Fedotova and Others v. Russia. This  also applies to 46 Council of Europe member states, including Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Ukraine and others which have not yet adopted an LGBTIQ-inclusive

Kaspars Zalitis: Riga Pride is Coming Back and Invites to Celebrate Freedom

Riga Pride returns to Latvia this week with the most anticipated March for Freedom on Saturday, 18th of June. Showing support and solidarity to the LGBTQ community in Ukraine, Riga Pride will take place this year together and as part of Kyiv Pride with the message “Until we are all free”. With 40 events throughout

Will 2022 Mark a Turning Point for all LGBTIQ Families in the EU ?

Lithuania, along with Latvia, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria and Slovakia to this day remaining the only European Union Member States without same-sex family rights recognition. Although these countries face multitude of social and political issues which often effectively demotes LGBTIQ equality  to political periphery, LGBTIQ communities and their supporters are becoming more vocal than ever before.

Amicus Brief Submitted in Relu-Adrian Coman and Others v. Romania

While Lithuania still remains among 6 European Union states that do not provide a gender-neutral Partnership alternative, National LGBTI Rights Organization LGL together with the international partners from the Czech Republic, Poland and Bulgaria continue to consolidate their efforts towards establishing a higher standard of protection within the regulation of the European Convention on Human

Family Diversity and Protection in a Democratic Society: Issues and Possibilities

R.I.S.E. project consortium seeks to discuss social and legal aspects of LGBTIQ+ family rights recognition in Lithuania, Latvia, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Romania and Poland as well as a wider international rainbow family context while reflecting on the negative psychological and economic effects of discrimination.  Register for online participation HERE Time:  September 29 10 AM – 3 PM EEST

In June, Hungary became the second country in the EU to pass the anti-gay proaganda law, as Viktor Orbán’s ruling party intensified its campaign against LGBTI rights. Since 2009 Lithuanian LGBTI community has been struggling with the Law on the Protection of Minors against the Detrimental Effect of Public Information containing a similar anti-LGBTI provision. According to its article

LGBTI in Lithuania: Equality Priorities Remain in a Political Periphery

Unprecedented success of  Baltic Pride 2019 festival in Vilnius which brought together around 10 000 LGBTI people and their allies marked the beginning of certain positive changes towards LGBTI acceptance and equality.  However, even after LGBTI-friendly Liberal political powers secured their place in the ruling coalition in 2020, the pace of change leaves a lot to

LGL Provided Advisory Opinion in EC(t)HR case Buhuceanu and Ciobotaru v. Romania

After obtaining permission by European Court of the Human Rights (ECtHR)  to indirectly participate in the supranational judicial proceedings, National LGBT rights organization LGL submitted the Amicus Curiae brief in the ECtHR case Buhuceanu and Ciobotaru v. Romania, brought by 26 Romanian applicants regarding human rights violations resulting from insufficient same-sex family rights recognition. Third Party

LGL Submitted Alternative Report to the UN Human Rights Committee

In 2018 United Nations (UN) Human Rights Committee made recommendations CCPR/C/LTU/CO/4 to Lithuania to improve the situation of LGBTI people. Along with recommendations made to Belize, Bulgaria, Honduras, Mongolia and Sudan, these recommendations were considered by the Committee as urgent.  In accordance to the official deadline and procedure, national LGBT rights organization LGL submitted an alternative report on

EU LGBTI Survey: LGBTI Human Rights Situation in Lithuania Remains Poor

On 14th of May, 2020 the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) released its LGBTI survey findings – the world’s biggest survey of its kind with 140 000 respondents. Survey results revealed an alarming situation in Lithuania: Lithuanian respondents admitted always (14 %) or almost always (20 %) feeling downhearted or depressed. Moreover, 55 %