On 15 July 2014 the Lithuanian Parliament has passed the controversial amendment to the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on Equal Opportunities for Men and Women, which will legalize gender-based harassment. 83 MPs voted in favor of passing the law, while 13 MPs abstained, thus outnumbering 2 MPs who voted against the proposal. MP
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Russian news sources report that a peaceful Pride parade took place in St Petersburg on Sunday July 27, despite organisers being told to hold the event on a landfill site.The Moscow and St. Petersburg Times reported some two dozen LGBT activists rallied in the Field of Mars square on Sunday to celebrate gay pride. QueerRussia.com reports that
Joana Estrela is a Portuguese comic artist who was a volunteer in 2012-2013 with the Lithuanian Gay League in Vilnius, as the organization prepared to host the 2013 Baltic Pride. A graduate in communication design from the University of Porto’s Faculty of Fine Arts, Joana began drawing comics about her experiences in Vilnius. These comics
The Equal Rights Trust (ERT) raised concerns last week about a draft law which is yet to be released. According to the organisation, work has begun on a bill intended to protect children from “propaganda of homosexuality”, and it was included in a presidential decree concerning the legislative agenda of parliament. Dimitrina Petrova, Executive Director of
Kenyan transgender rights group Transgender Education and Advocacy (TEA) have won a major court battle, with the country’s high court ruling that the government’s Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) coordination board must allow them to register. Justice George Odunga criticized the board for declining to recognize the group, saying that it had failed to carry out its
Despite the Russian city of St Petersburg repealing its city-wide ban on so-called ‘propaganda of homosexuality to minors,’ officials are still working to frustrate the work of LGBTI activists in the city. Organizers had hoped to hold an LGBTI Pride rally this Saturday, however by Monday this week city officials had rejected every location for
Barack Obama has signed on July 21 an Executive Order banning workplace discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity. The new order only applies to federal contractors, unlike the broader Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which remains stalled in the House of Representatives. However, it has been praised by some for its lack of a religious
The teacher, who gave the name Silvia, claimed that Sacro Cuore school near Trento let her go because she refused to confirm or deny rumours that she was a lesbian. She told newspaper La Repubblica: “What happened to me is medieval. Maybe I’m a lesbian, maybe I’m not. But asking me about my sexual orientation as a
One rainy summer evening, exactly on the 11th of July, the presentation of a comics book by a former volunteer of LGL, Joana Estrela, took place in a cozy book-store called “Mint Vinetu”. The book is called “Propaganda”, which is a word that gives the creeps probably to every LGBT rights activist, but exactly for this
Raminta, our Communication Officer, passed away this morning following a car accident. Words seem inadequate to express the sadness we all feel in LGL today. Raminta was not just a colleague, but also a dear friend, and our memories are filled with her smiles, her supporting words and her deep determination to make a real
Croatia’s Parliament has passed a law allowing civil partnerships for same-sex couples. It means same-sex couples will now enjoy equal inheritance rights, social benefits and tax deductions. Their unions will be called ”life partnerships” protected by the Constitution. However, adoption rights for same-sex couples were not included in the bill. On Tuesday, the Parliament passed the civil union law
Professor De Sutter comes from a medical background. She is head of the Reproductive Medicine Department of the University Hospital Ghent, as well as an associate professor of gynaecology at the University of Ghent. She ran in the recent elections to the European Parliament. She came second within the Belgian Groen (Green) party, with 47,000 votes,