On April 3rd, 2015, volunteers of the national LGBT* rights organization LGL sent out the publication, “Homophobic Bullying in Lithuanian Schools: Survey Results and Recommendations” to schools and educational institutions throughout the country. 250 Lithuanian schools, all of the pedagogical psychological service providers working in Lithuania, higher learning institutions training educators and social workers, the
News / LGBT Guide LT
US President Barack Obama has condemned psychiatric therapies designed to “repair” gay, lesbian and transgender youth. Mr Obama’s statement was in response to an online petition calling for a ban on conversion therapies. It gained over 120,000 signatures in three months. The petition was inspired by Leelah Alcorn, a 17-year-old transgender youth who committed suicide
The Holy See is to receive its first ever openly gay ambassador in the form of France’s Laurent Stefanini and not everybody’s sure they’re too thrilled about that. The smallest country in Europe and its only remaining absolute monarchy is about to get its first ever openly gay ambassador from another country. Vatican City, home
Russia’s main support group for teenagers who identify as LGBT is to be blocked under the country’s ‘gay propaganda’ law. The founders of Children-404 – the name of which references the country’s censorship of gay culture with reference to the ‘404 – Page not found’ internet error – aimed to provide a safe space for
Irish senators have approved plans for same-sex couples to adopt. The Seanad in the Republic of Ireland spent nearly a week discussing the Children and Family Relationship Bill – which was subject to over 120 amendments, and days of debate. It was approved late on Monday after nearly eight hours of debate, clearing the Seanad by a vote
A Chilean court has upheld the constitutionality of the South American country’s civil unions bill that received final approval earlier this year. The Chilean Constitutional Court on Monday issued its 14-page ruling that upheld the measure. The judges reached their decision on April 2. A group of opposition lawmakers challenged the bill after it received
New sex education guidelines outlaw teaching about sexual minorities. The guidelines, issued to schools and teachers this week state that “sex education is not intended to be an opportunity for teachers to share their views on sexuality” and “teaching about homosexuality is not permitted.” It also orders teachers to remove any references to LGBT issues from
The National LGBT* Organization LGL welcomes the adoption of the landmark Gender Identity, Gender Expression and Sex Characteristics Act (GIGESC Bill) as a historic groundbreaking for the rights of transgender and intersex people in Malta and Europe. The Maltese Parliament adopted the Bill on Wednesday, April 1, 2015. The Bill introduces a quick, transparent and
During an official visit by Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev last week, EU leaders have sought reassurances over pending bills seeking to limit the rights of LGBTI people and civil society in general. Kyrgyzstan is considering an anti-LGBTI ‘propaganda’ bill, which would outlaw any public information ‘aimed at forming positive attitudes toward non-traditional sexual relations’. Anyone found guilty could
On March 26th, 2015, the conference organized by the Lithuanian Human Rights Centre, “Expression of Opinion on the Internet: Human Rights, Ethics, and Legal Practice,” took place at the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Lithuania. Attorneys, public prosecutors, journalists, scholars, and representatives from state and non-governmental institutions read reports and participated in discussions.
Shibuya will issue certificates recognizing gay unions as ‘equal to marriage’. Shibuya ward in Tokyo has become the first locale in Japan to recognize gay couples, a major step forward for LGBTI rights in the conservative country. The district assembly Tuesday (31 March) voted overwhelmingly in favor of issuing certificates recognizing same-sex unions as ‘equivalent to
The Transgender Day of Visibility (TDoV) is an annual holiday held on March 31st, dedicated to showing support and raising awareness of discrimination faced by transgender people around the world. The day aims to shining light upon the accomplishments of transgender people while fighting transphobia by spreading knowledge of the trans* community. Unlike Transgender Day of