The executive director of the National LGBT rights organisation LGL Vladimir Simonko can rightfully be called a chronicler of the LGBT rights movement in Lithuania. In 1995 being the first one in Lithuania to openly speak about his sexual orientation together with his partner Eduardas, today he opened the carefully guarded archive of Lithuanian publications
News / Human Rights
Office of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, led by PM Saulius Skvernelis, has prepared a draft resolution proposing Lithuanian President to honour leader of the Polish ruling party “Law and Justice” Jaroslaw Kaczynski, infamous for is anti-LGBT rhetoric, with one of the highest state decorations of the Lithuanian Republic. Last word regarding the
On 3rd October, 2019, the Ambassador of the Royal Norwegian Embassy, H.E. Mr. Karsten Klepsvik was awarded with a special symbol of gratitude for supporting the monumental Baltic Pride 2019 festival at the National LGBT Rights Organization LGL. During the warm meeting, representatives of the Embassy and LGL recalled the most impressive moments of the
This September Lithuanian Parliament began to review a new legislative proposal on Lithuanian Law of Equal Treatment amendments, initiated by the Office of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson. While the draft law introduces quite a few well-needed changes, such as including the definition of associative discrimination, it does, however, ignore the burning questions of transgender individuals,
Nazis considered homosexuality a disease, therefore homosexuals were subjected systemic persecution, arrest and imprisonment at concentrations camps. Many of the 5000 to 10000 imprisoned homosexuals fell victims of various dehumanizing pseudo-medical experiments and, as they were considered the “lowest caste”, experienced the harshest forms of torture. However, many representatives of the Lithuanian state institutions in
Europe is at a dangerous crossroads and that’s why this is a critical time for the Commission to adopt a comprehensive LGBTI strategy over the next five years, says ILGA-Europe, in advance of the Finnish Presidency conference on advancing LGBTI equality in the EU. On 23 September The Finnish Presidency of the Council of
Absence of legal gender recognition and health care in Lithuania places transgender young people at serious risk when it comes to education and employment. Unable to change their gender in their legal documents, access health care and confronted with prevailing transphobic attitudes in the Lithuanian society, transgender individuals face a high degree of social marginalization
On 9 September, 2019 representatives of the National LGBT rights organization LGL, organized a kick-off meeting for the project “R.I.S.E: Raising awareness for Inclusive Societies to Embrace rainbow families in Europe” that took place in Bratislava, Slovakia. LGBT rights advocacy organizations from Latvia, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania and Slovakia, led by LGL, have joined their efforts in order to
European countries that do not legally recognize same-sex relationships, including Lithuania, have seen a rise in homophobia over the last 14 years, a new study by Hungarian researchers suggests. The study, co-authored by Judit Takacs of the Hungarian Academy of Science, shows that, by contrast, acceptance of gay and lesbian relationships increased in countries that
On 5th September, 2019 the National LGBT organization LGL held an LGBT sensitivity training for the employees of the Lithuanian National Radio and Television. By organizing this training, LGL aimed to raise the awareness of professional journalists in fighting the phenomenon of homophobia, biphobia and transphobia in the mass media. During the training, journalists were
The Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union could not join the European Green Party due to different positions on family and LGBT+ rights, the party’s leader Ramūnas Karbauskis says. “We spoke that the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens cannot join the European Green Party. [Our] attitude to family is completely different, as we support the traditional family,
A diplomat who carries memories of the emerald sea in her native Greece wherever she goes. Mother and grandmother, constantly overcoming great distance between Vilnius and Washington to visit her family. Aesthetic and promoter of cultural relations between Lithuania and Greece. A fighter who overcame all obstacles in order to fulfill her dream to bring