On March 20th, 2016 a meeting to consider the Constitutional amendment, which seeks to define “family life” as emanating exclusively from a marriage between a man and a woman, has been scheduled at the Legal Affairs Committee of the Lithuanian Parliament. However, the Committee failed to meet the quorum and the consideration of the draft
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In March, 2016 the National LGBT* Rights Organization LGL, in cooperation with international human rights organizations „ILGA-Europe“ and „Sexual Rights Initiative“, made a joint Universal Periodic Review submission to the UN Human Rights Council on the LGBT* human rights situation in the country. The shadow report, submitted by LGL and its international partners, highlights the
In a report adopted last week on the EU’s relationship with Central Asia, the European Parliament has made a strong call to respect democracy, the rule of law and human rights, including the rights of LGBTI people, in the region. The report highlights the parliament’s concern over freedom of the media, freedom of expression, and
Non-discrimination of minorities is one of the weakest points in Lithuania’s human rights record, according to a report on human rights practices in Lithuania for 2015 by the United States Department of State. The United States Department of State reports that the most serious human rights problems are related to aspects of the justice system,
A judge in China has dismissed a suit brought against the local government by a gay couple. Despite the decision, the plaintiffs and their supporters have said the fight isn’t over. The court in central Changsha on Wednesday dismissed the suit brought against the civil affairs bureau for refusing to issue a marriage license to
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards on Wednesday (13 April) signed an executive order prohibiting state agencies and state contractors from discriminating against LGBTI employees and others. Edwards said his action was needed in order to rescind an anti-gay ‘religious freedom’ executive order signed by his predecessor Bobby Jindal last May. Jindal’s order had prohibited
An investigation by Romanian police into an attack on two Bucharest Pride participants in the aftermath of the 2006 march was ineffective, marred by shortcomings and failed to take an-LGBTI bias into account, according to the European Court of Human Rights. In a judgment released yesterday (Tuesday, 12 April 2016), the ECtHR found that the
The number of people in Jamaica who “hate or reject” homosexual relationships has risen over 20% since 2011, a new survey has revealed. The 2015 Awareness, Attitude and Perception Survey asked employers, politicians and members of the public a number of questions in regards to same-sex relationships between June and July last year. Commissioned for
Eight men who were arrested and charged with offences relating to gay sex have been released. The court has been praised by local LGBT rights group Shames for making the “courageous” decision of rescinding the charges. Local reports had originally suggested that only three men were arrested, and that they had been charged with offences
The third European Bisexual Conference (EuroBiCon) is to be held in Amsterdam from July 28th to 31th, 2016. It starts on the 28th with the first European Bisexual Research Conference (EuroBiReCon), a day dedicated to academic research on bisexuality, followed by a three day community organised event. EuroBiCon brings together bisexual people and their allies
The charitable fund of Rūta Meilutytė, Lithuania’s Olympic Gold medallist and World Record holder in swimming, sent a homophobic email to the organisers of Baltic Pride 2016, taking a strong stand against the event and calling gays “an anomaly”. The email, signed by Rūta’s father who manages the affairs of the young swimmer, came in response to an
Volunteers of the National LGBT* rights organization LGL invited to participate in the first „Active Rainbow“ workshop, which took place on the 30th March, 2016 in LGBT Centre. The participants of the event, organized by LGL volunteers, were taught to identify their own personal strengths and weaknesses and to recognize discrimination experienced by vulnerable groups