Group of members in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) have criticized several legislative initiatives as homophobic and allegedly infringing upon fundamental freedoms of LGBT* people as well as promoting discrimination. The Lithuanian Parliament is to consider four homophobic or transphobic legislative initiatives in its autumn session: a total ban on gender
News / Human Rights
Since 2012, fans and Lithuanian basketball team members and officials have repeatedly been caught on film participating in questionable expressions of “harmless joking” at the expense of minority groups. Recently, a video was released on Youtube showing Lithuanian parliamentarian Petras Gražulis leading a group of basketball fans in a pre-game warm-up of the ”Whoever’s Not
Gay rights activists in Serbia held their first Pride march in three years on Saturday, despite officials banning the ceremony over threats of violence from right-wing extremists. Hundreds of activists gathered on the streets of Belgrade last night, following through with plans to defy the Government’s banning of the pride march that was expected to take
Several Russian homophobic groups have called on the authorities to ban an upcoming Elton John concert, saying that allowing the pop icon to perform would make a “mockery” of the country’s anti-gay laws. Yuri Ageshchev, the leader of religious fundamentalist group, the Union of Orthodox Brotherhoods, told Novy Region news agency: “The statement by this
The Lithuanian Office of the Inspector of Journalist Ethics, an agency established under the supervision of the country’s parliament, has ruled that the state-run Lithuanian Radio and Television did not violate any laws when it decided to limit public broadcasting of two television ads promoting the Baltic Pride march in July, 2013. The brief clips were filmed
As Slovenia was hosting the final game in this year’s Eurobasket championship, pitting Lithuania against France, Lithuanian parliamentarian (and future Lithuanian delegate to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe) was seen leading fans in an anti-gay chant that was rebroadcast by the one of the top Lithuanian basketball internet portals, Basketnews.lt. In the
A professor at a Christian college in California has been forced out of his position after coming out as transgender. H. Adam Ackley had taught theology at Azusa Pacific University for 15 years. However, since coming out as male in the last year, he had been asked to leave by the university – despite being
Russian President Vladimir Putin has made the extraordinary claim that former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi is being persecuted because of his heterosexuality over claims he had sex with an underage prostitute. ‘Berlusconi is being tried because he lives with women,’ Putin said Thursday in Valdai, Russia. ‘If he were homosexual, no one would lift
The body of the man, who has been named by police as M Namiyev, was found last night on the side of Sumgayit Highway, in the Baku suburb of Bilacari. Police information indicates that Mr Namiyev, who was openly gay, was murdered, with early reports suggesting that he died after being beaten and stabbed. The
Openly gay school deputy headteacher, Shaun Dellenty, explains why winning an award for his work as founder of Inclusion For All meant so much: “I first devised Inclusion For All in 2010 in response to endemic levels of homophobic bullying and language in our local schools and the community, at a time when there was a question
A ‘scientist’ from Nigeria believes he has proved same sex marriage is ‘unnatural’ by conducting simplistic experiments which have no relation to homosexuality. Chibuihem Amalaha, a post graduate student from the University of Lagos, believes that basic laws of physics are God’s way of saying same sex attraction is ‘wrong’. Speaking on his ‘groundbreaking’ discovery
The Lithuanian parliament has opened discussions of the amendment to the Criminal Code which spells out that criticism of homosexuality should not be viewed as discrimination. Initiated by a mixed group of parliamentarians, the amendment suggests that “Criticism or discussion of sexual behaviour, sexual practices, convictions and views, or attempts to persuade to change such