On October 19th, the notorious legislative amendments to Lithuania’s Administrative and Penal Codes which would criminalize the promotion of homosexual relations in public places were withdrawn by their initiator, Member of Parliament (Seimas), Petras Grazulis.  However, they were immediately replaced by MP Grazulis with updated version of the amendment to Administrative Code.

 

MP Petras Grazulis submitted a new project, No. XIP-2595, to amend the Administrative Code with a new Article 214 (30):

·         The new Article 214(30) in the Administrative Code is entitled “Public promotion of homosexual relations“ and states that “public promotion of homosexual relations is to be punished by a fine from two thousand to ten thousand litas.“

 

In the explanatory letter of this project, it is stated that reasons for drafting this project are “present gaps of Lithuanian legal system when promotion of consistent, traditional family values is often evaluated as unlawful discrimination against sexual minorities on the basis of their sexual orientation.“  MP Grazulis stated his belief that there are “harmful practices when fighting against discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, such that there is discrimination against traditional family values and people valuing heterosexual sexual relations.“  The aim of the project is “to assert that there would be administrative responsibility for public defiance of just and harmonious society values, and public encouragement to score them.“

 

MP Grazulis argues that he is implementing the Law on the Protection of Minors against the Detrimental Effect of Public Information, legally adopted in March this year.

 

During the recent Parliament hearing and in the television programming broadcasted afterwards, MP Grazulis stated that this amendment is necessary to protect traditional family values and morals of society. He directly stated that one of the important aims the amendment it is to prevent events like Baltic Pride from being held in Lithuania in the future.