From the 25th to the 30th of May, 2015, I had the opportunity to attend the Conference “Positive Steps Beyond Criticism”, organized by IGLYO and hosted by IGLYO’s Member Organisation RFSL Ungdom in Stockholm. Main goals of the conference were to explore the topic of norm criticism and to invite participants to explore and formulate
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The first same-sex marriage was concluded in Tallinn between a British national and his Estonian partner. The two men were married on 14 August by British Consul Kathryn Lindsay. The marriage ceremony between British national Christopher and his Estonian partner Siim was performed at the British Embassy in Tallinn in the presence of witnesses and
A Ukrainian court last week banned an LGBT Pride march that had been scheduled to take place in the city of Odessa on Saturday. The Odessa District Administrative Court issued its ruling in response to a petition from city lawmakers on Aug. 13, based on what Radio Free Europe described as the potential “real danger
Marking a significant step for Central America, the office of Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solís introduced a bill to the nation’s parlimanent for the legalization of same-sex common-law marriages. In Costa Rica, common-law marriages carry the same rights and benefits as traditional marriage, but they require approval of a judge after three years of
If dating takes a leap into the unknown for everybody, the process surely raises some extra dilemmas for transwomen. Especially in Lithuania, the most backward country in the European Union as far as protection of transgender rights are concerned. Transgender people represent the most vulnerable group within the LGBT* spectrum and the most at risk
On August 13th, 2015 the National LGBT* Rights Organization LGL applied before the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) under violations of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) regarding limitations of access to available effective remedies against homophobic hate speech in Lithuania. An official complaint states that the Lithuanian authorities have violated the Convention
Representative of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania in Marijampolė county and a member of the Liberal Movement party Paulius Uleckas received an official warning from the Ethics Commission of the Liberal Movement party regarding his shocking remarks about LGBT* people. Mr. Uleckas was asked to apologize the LGBT* community for his homophobic statements.
Puerto Rico Gov. Alejandro García Padilla on Monday issued two executive orders that extend rights to transgender people in the U.S. commonwealth.One of the orders that García signed specifically prohibits hospitals from discriminating against potential patients based on their gender identity when they seek treatment in an emergency room. The second mandate allows trans Puerto
Domestic violence remains an “invisible” issue in the LGBT community, with many victims feeling too ashamed to make a complaint or seek support, a report in Australia has found. Currently there is also a study in Lithuania running, focussing on the local LBT community. Despite research that shows that one-third of people in a same-sex
Nepal has joined the few countries which allow third gender passports, as it issues its first one. The country issued the passport, which allows ‘other’ as a gender category alongside ‘male’ and ‘female’. Monica Shahi was the first person to receive such a passport. The only other countries which allow third-gender, or gender ‘x’ passports
‘When this film finally comes to theaters, audiences will see that it deeply honors the real-life activists who were there’ Openly gay director Roland Emmerich has responded to criticism that his new film Stonewall whitewashes the riots and ignores the drag queens and transgender women of color who started the LGBTI rights movement. The trailer released earlier
The Polish Senate has voted to pass the Gender Accordance Act after a lengthy debate which lasted several days. However, the Act was passed with significant last-minute amendments which unfortunately could add another layer of procedural difficulty to the gender recognition process. The Gender Accordance Act is an attempt to codify the legal gender recognition