Thousands of LGBTIQ community members and its allies marched in a successful Vilnius Pride event which took place on the 1st of July. Newly elected Vilnius Mayor Valdas Benkunskas also joined the Pride march this year.

According to the organizers of the event, “LGBTQ+ people in Lithuania are still being used as political tools – in order to gain popularity, some political forces demonize us, while others promise compromising changes, but do not deliver. How can we say that we live in a free country when not all citizens enjoy the same rights? We – lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex, asexual and other identities – are part of Lithuania, but our equality in the eyes of the state is still not guaranteed”, Made in Vilnius reports.

March for Equality is scheduled to take place on the 8th of June in 2024, LGL will explore further cooperation opportunities with the municipality and other partners for next year’s Pride event in Vilnius.