LGL’s Intern Nele: LGBT Advocacy in A Challenging Environment

Coming to Lithuania, I had only a vague idea of the country, the LGBT rights situation, or the work I was going to be doing. I knew Lithuania was considered one of the most homo-, bi- and transphobic countries in the European Union: that it was one of very few European countries without any legal

Conference on the rights of transgender people in Lithuania

On September 6th 2018, the Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania held a conference on the state of the rights of transgender persons, during which international and local human rights experts as well as medical and legal representatives discussed the situation in Lithuania ahead of decisions on the pending gender reassignment bill drafts. Prof. Vytautas Mizaras

Ministers and representatives of the member countries of the Equal Rights Coalition have met in a global conference in Vancouver, Canada. In the conference, spanning from the 5th of August to the 7th of August, the representatives have pledged to build a world where no one is left behind – regardless of their sexual orientation,

Lithuania’s Parliament marked the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia this week. Marked on May 17 around the world, IDAHOT raises awareness of persecution and hate crimes faced by lesbian, gay, bisexuals and transgender people around the world. The day is heavily marked in countries that are already progressive on LGBT rights, but it is

Mariela Castro: Father is ‘Supportive’ of Pro-LGBT Efforts

The daughter of Cuban President Raúl Castro says her father supports her efforts to spearhead LGBT-specific issues in the country. “He understands,” Mariela Castro told Hatzel Vela, a Havana-based reporter for the South Florida television station WPLG. “He is supportive.” Mariela Castro, who is director of Cuba’s National Center for Sexual Education that is known

Hundreds of LGBT activists gathered outside the Russian Embassy in London yesterday to protest the detention of gay men in ‘concentration camps’ in Chechnya. They carried placards saying “LGBT+ rights are human rights,”Queer lives matter, close the camps” and a tuba demanding that Prime Minister Theresa May speak out against concentration camps. Lord Waheed Alli,

U.N. Committee Again Rejects Motion to Suspend LGBT Watchdog

A U.N. committee on Monday, December 19, 2016 once again rejected efforts to suspend the organization’s first-ever LGBT rights watchdog. The U.S. was among the 84 countries that voted against the motion. Seventy-seven countries backed it, while 16 countries abstained from the vote. “The U.N. General Assembly vote makes clear that no one should be

New Report Takes Stock of Fundamental Rights in the EU, Including LGBTI Rights

On December 13, 2016, the European Parliament adopted a new comprehensive report on fundamental rights in the EU.  The report assesses how fundamental rights are implemented in the EU, and what must still be done to reach standards laid down in the Charter of Fundamental Rights. The document includes an extensive snapshot of the situation

Commission ‘Shockingly Passive’ on LGBT* Rights in Lithuania

On December 5th, 2016 the European Parliament’s Intergroup on LGBTI Rights has addressed the European Commission regarding its “shockingly passive” position on clear discrimination against LGBT* people in Lithuania. On November 7th, 2016 the European Commission informed the National LGBT* rights organization LGL that it would take no action over a 2013 law that claims

On November 2nd, 2016 the Government of the Republic of Lithuania took part in the 26th session of the United Nations Universal Periodic Review, at which time it presented its report on the human rights situation in the country and responded to other member states’ questions and recommendations. In the 26th session, Lithuania received as