On December 10-13, 2024, an employee of the national LGBT rights organization LGL Julija Baublinskaitė participated in a meeting organized by the international LGBTI youth organization IGLYO in Barcelona (Spain) to help plan an international conference on LGBTI inclusive education coming in June next year. Julija, together with representatives of four other IGLYO member organizations
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On December 10-14, 2024 Eglė Kuktoraitė, Communications Manager at the National LGBT rights organization LGL, took part at a study visit “Citizen Empowerment and Engagement – The Role Of NGOs” in Oslo, Norway. The study visit was aimed at exploring citizen empowerment and engagement, civil society sector funding mechanisms, frameworks for advocacy, and support structures.
On 28 November 2024 representatives of LGBTIQ+ friendly businesses and diplomatic representations were invited to take part at the presentation of Baltic Pride 2025 and discussion. The participants were greeted by IEVA DIRMAITĖ, Chairperson of the Vilnius City Human Rights Commission, and MARIANO ANDRADE GONZALEZ, Director of Johnson Matthey. VLADIMIR SIMONKO, Executive Director of LGL,
During the international ILGA-Europe LGBT human rights conference on the 19th of October, 2024, in Bucharest, it was announced that in 2025 the conference will be held in Vilnius. The historic ILGA-Europe flag was symbolically passed on to delegates from Lithuanian Gay League and Tolerant Youth Association on the conference’s stage. Vilnius won the right
In a comprehensive review of LGBTI rights across Europe, conducted by ILGA-Europe on the implementation of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers Recommendation (2010)5, Lithuania emerges as a country with a mixed record on LGBTI rights and protections. This analysis reveals areas where Lithuania has made strides, as well as significant challenges that remain.
Recent events in Lithuania have highlighted concerning trends in hate crime prevention and prosecution. A prominent example is the repeated burning of the LGBT+ flag near the Parliament building by self-proclaimed activist Raimondas Šimaitis. The mere €15 fine imposed for this action raises serious questions about the effectiveness of law enforcement measures in combating hate
Despite regional and national differences common in the European context, all four bids for the pan-European LGBTI+ event ‘EuroPride’ in 2027 are clear that protest remains at the very heart of the Pride movement, and is more important now than it has been for many years. Bids from ACOGAT Torremolinos Pride (ES), Coordinamento Torino Pride
The Lithuanian government has released its proposed legislative agenda for the fall 2024 parliamentary session, which marks the final session of the current Seimas before the national elections in October. The agenda outlines over 50 bills and resolutions to be considered, but notably absent are any proposals specifically addressing LGBTI rights or issues. This last
On August 30th, the Office of the Seimas Ombudsmen in Lithuania hosted a significant discussion titled “Facts Can Overcome Hate: Strengthening LGBTIQ+ Rights in Lithuania.” This event brought together representatives from state institutions, agencies, law enforcemement, researchers and academia as well as non-governmental organizations to address critical issues facing the LGBTIQ+ community. Seimas Ombudswoman and
Recent developments in Lithuania point to an intensifying debate over LGBTI rights, with anti-LGBTI sentiment gaining prominence in the Baltic nation as the country prepares for its upcoming parliamentary elections. In August 2024, members of the Lithuanian parliament’s Regional faction proposed legislation that would ban providing any information about LGBTIQ topics to minors in schools
The Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) has long positioned itself as a progressive force in Lithuanian politics. However, recent developments suggest a troubling retreat from its previous commitments to LGBTI rights, raising questions about the party’s true values, their adherence to the EU social commitments, and its ability to champion meaningful social change. This shift
On 17 August 2024 a delegation of representatives of the National LGBT rights organization LGL participated in the Tartu Pride March. Together with representatives of partner organizations Mozaika (Latvia), Estonian LGBT Association (Estonia), Latvian Human Rights Centre, Estonian Human Rights Centre, and Samtokin 78 (Iceland), a group of motivated LGL volunteers emersed in a colorful