On 19th June, 2017 Agneta Skardžiuvienė, Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson of the Republic of Lithuania, found that Telšiai Žemaitė Gymnasium violated the Law on Equal Treatment of the Republic of Lithuania by not ensuring the absence of discrimination and material promoting discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation in its curriculum. It has been confirmed that

D.C. to Allow Gender-Neutral Driver’s Licenses

At the direction of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, the city’s Department of Motor Vehicles will begin allowing residents to choose a gender-neutral “X” identifier on driver’s licenses and other city identification documents on June 26. The announcement on Tuesday by the mayor’s office of the soon to be available gender-neutral identification documents came on the

German High Court Rejects Parliamentary Vote on Same-sex Marriage

Governing coalition is divided on the issue and the lower house’s legal affairs committee has repeatedly deferred an official vote. Germany’s highest court has rejected an opposition party’s attempt to force a parliamentary vote on same-same marriage. The country has recognised civil partnerships for same-sex couples since 2001. While other countries have taken the next

On 20th June, 2017 the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Russia’s ‘anti-propaganda’ legislation is in breach with human rights. The federal law was adopted in 2013 and bans the “promotion” or “propaganda” of homosexuality, bisexuality and transgenderism. The Court found that the law breaches the right to freedom of expression (Article 10) and the

Denmark Approves Same-sex Marriage in the Faroe Islands

The road to approving same-sex marriage in the Faroe Islands has finally been completed. The islands have become the final Nordic country to legalise marriage equality. The archipelago known as the Faroe Islands, which is self-governing, voted to make it legal for same-sex couples to marry last year. However the legislation required a change in

Bringing together NGOs and official partners to tackle hate crime against LGBT persons – this is the aim of the transnational project Come Forward, implemented in 10 European countries by a group of 22 organizations. It is the largest international action focused on countering anti–LGBT hate crime to date. The project website has just been

Two Transgender Men Obtain Legal Gender Recognition in Lithuania

In April and May, 2017 two Lithuanian transgender men successfully defended their right to legal gender recognition. On 7th April, 2017 the Vilnius City District Court obliged the Vilnius Civil Registry to change personal identification documents by applicant M.V. with the view of obtaining legal gender recognition without undergoing the compulsory gender reassignment surgery. On

The Baltic Pride 2017 Programme Officially Launched

Many exciting events will take place during the festival, according to the organizers of the Baltic Pride 2017 festival in Tallinn (Estonia). The festival will commence on 6 July, in cinema Artis. Everybody is welcome to join for speeches, the opening of the exhibition ‘Who is this Wo/Man’, and the screening of Becoming Ann-Christine, a

On 15th June, 2017 the Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania voted down a proposal by liberal MPs to amend the Civil Code of the Republic of Lithuania, aiming to recognize the legal status of both different-sex and same-sex couples. 29 members of the Lithuanian Parliament voted in favor of the proposal, 59 voted against,

The Rainbow Days 2017 Awards Given to Former Lithuanian MPs

Marija Aušrinė Pavilionienė and Dalia Kuodytė, former members of the Parliament of Republic of Lithuania, were honored with the Rainbow Days 2017 Awards. During the event at the local LGBT* community center, the representatives of the National LGBT* rights organization LGL presented the Rainbow Days 2017 Award for contributions to the LGBT* human rights movement

Chilean President to Introduce Same-sex Marriage Bill

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet on Thursday said her government will introduce a same-sex marriage bill in the coming months. La Tercera, a Chilean newspaper, reported Bachelet made the announcement during a speech to the country’s Congress. “It cannot be that old prejudices are stronger than love,” she said, according to La Tercera. Government reached agreement

‘Same-sex marriage is an affirmation LGBTI people are supported and integrated in Maltese society’ Malta has elected a new prime minister, and he is determined to pass same-sex marriage by the end of July. The small southern European island has civil unions, envious trans and intersex laws, and is the only European country to ban