Lithuanian Anti-Gay Propaganda Provision Remains Intact

Newly elected Lithuanian Parliament led by a coalition of Conservative and Liberal powers swiftly, without much of a public debate, adopted amendments to the  Law on the Protection of Minors against the Detrimental Effect of Public Information on January 14, 2021.

While these amendments introduced quite a few reasonable changes to the current regulation, it did not address the most controversial provision under which LGBT related content, even of educational and social character, may be regarded as detrimental to minors.

According to its article 4(2)(16), Public Information which expresses contempt for family values, encourages the concept of entry into a marriage and creation of a family other than stipulated in the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania and the Civil Code of the Republic of Lithuania is considered having a Detrimental Effect on the Development of Minors.

Active since 2009, Law on the Protection of Minors against the Detrimental Effect of Public has attracted a great deal of criticism by human rights defenders as well as attention from the International human rights bodies due to its biased wording and instances of discriminatory application, e.g. censoring Baltic Pride media campaign, postponing social documentary on same-sex parenthood and banning LGBTI-inclusive fairy tale book.

See also:
LGL and All Out Started a Petition to end LGBT content censorship in Lithuania