On Saturday the 6th of June, 2015 Lithuanian-American citizen Auris Jarašūnas married his partner Robbie Sutton in the city of Los Angeles. “I met my partner seven years ago. Quickly we became inseparable, and we were dreaming that maybe one day we will be a fully recognized family. Like a fairy tale, the laws of our country changed very quickly, and the dream finally became true”- disclosed Mr. Jarašūnas. For this reason, the newlyweds invited the guests attending the wedding ceremony to abandon the traditional wedding gifts and funds addressed to them in turn of their support to the association LGL, leading organization in Lithuania defending the rights of LGBT* persons.
In the summer of 2014 summer, Mr. Jarašūnas and Mr. Sutton planned a vacation in Europe, during which the couple visited Lithuania. “Before coming to Lithuania, we stopped in Vienna. We visited the Schönbrunn palace – and there, on the steps, the proposal happened. We arrived to Lithuania with engagement rings on our hands… It was so surprising how many acquaintances greeted us in Lithuania. Young, old, even conservative people. And we felt there as at home!”- assured Mr. Jarašūnas.
When he heard that his friend Kendra was volunteering at LGL, Mr. Jarašūnas began to consider the possibility of support for the organization’s ongoing initiatives and activities. In May, 2015 the national LGBT* rights organization LGL received the first signs of support from Mr. Jarašūnas’ and his partner’s relatives and friends. The marital initiative to express their support for an organization representing the interests of the Lithuanian LGBT* community was shared by the majority of the guests who attended the wedding ceremony: a total sum of 1630 € was donated to LGL in May and June, 2015.
“We are extremely grateful to Mr. Jarašūnas and Mr. Sutton and to the relatives and the friends of the couple for the trust expressed to LGL. It is encouraging to know that the Lithuanians living abroad have an active interest in the situation of our LGBT* community and this interest contributes to the overall effort to reach equality for the LGBT* persons in Lithuania. I sincerely wish to this family a long and happy life together and I guarantee you that thanks to your support the Baltic Pride organized by LGL next year in Vilnius will be even more memorable” – emphasized LGL’s Executive Director Vladimir Simonko.Today, the national LGBT* rights organization LGL sincerely wants to thank Mr. Jarašūnas, Mr. Sutton and the relatives and the friends of the couple for their support. In order to effectively represent the Lithuanian LGBT* community, every single sign of support and care to the cause of LGBT* rights is extremely important to us. Thank you to everyone involved in the achievement of our common goals!
