In April 2015 with the initiative from the national LGBT* rights organization LGL an Action Plan for 2015-2020 on Non-Discrimination of LGBT* People has been released. The primary aims of this publication are to call attention to the current situation of LGBT* people, and to provide recommendations to ensure against discrimination and social exclusion of LGBT* people in Lithuania.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT*) people remain one of the most vulnerable groups in Lithuanian society, as evidenced by dominant societal attitudes, survey responses from local LGBT* people, statistical data on hate crimes and bullying, public information put forth by the media, and known cases of discrimination.
The complex legal situation of LGBT* people demands that special attention be paid to the resolution of this societal group’s problems. In Lithuania, there is a notable lack of political will with respect to the acceptance of basic LGBT* rights and the implementation of policy measures designed for the improvement of their rights. According to the 2013 observations and conclusions reported in the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers Recommendation CM/Rec (2010)5, the state fails to take positive actions aimed at broadening the rights and social inclusion of LGBT* people in Lithuania.
The attention to discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity paid in the Lithuanian Inter-institutional Non-discrimination action plan for 2015-2020 is not sufficient to resolve the complex issues of LGBT* human rights protection and the promotion of their social inclusion – the plan only includes one provision specifically designated for the protection of transgender people’s rights, namely, the survey regarding the state of transgender individuals living in Lithuania.
Action Plan on Non-Discrimination of LGBT* People 2015-2020, Lithuania, 2015
The recommended measures put forth in this publication were selected by considering the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers Recommendation CM/Rec (2010)5 for Member States fighting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity (published on the 31st of March 2010), by referencing the best practices of European countries, and by taking Lithuania’s legal and social context and current problems regarding the protection of LGBT* rights into account.
This publication aims to draw the attention of policy-making and implementing state institutions to the problems faced by LGBT* people, and to encourage the consistent creation and implementation of strategies for non-discrimination by these actors.
The publication can be found on LGL’s website at: http://www.lgl.lt/en/?page_id=1845 .
This publication is a part of the project “Towards Practical Implementation of LGBT* Rights in Lithuania” which is supported by the NGO Programme Lithuania funded by EEA Grants.
The publication is a part of a project “Development of the LGBT* action plan in Lithuania”, funded by LGBTI rights organization ILGA-Europe.
The publication is sponsored by Amnesty International.
