BRUSSELS, 16th March 2010 — Only two weeks after the enactment of a controversial Law on the Protection of Minors in Lithuania, Members of the Parliament seek to ban an international lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender pride event due to take place in Vilnius on the 8th May 2010. Municipal authorities authorised the three-nation Baltic

Information prepared in English by LGL, 15 03 2010 On Wednesday, a group of parliamentarians lodged a petition with the Prosecution Office regarding the permit issued by the Vilnius municipal government administration to hold a parade for sexual minorities at the beginning of May. According to Petras Gražulis who announced the petition, it was signed

Power of words: Brazil LGBT launch guide for media

The Brazilian Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transvestite and Transsexual (LGBT) Association (Associação Brasileira de Gays, Lésbicas, Bissexuais, Travestis e Transexuais or ABGLT) recently launched an “LGBT Communication Manual” aimed at communication professionals, students and teachers to reduce the use of inappropriate language that prejudices, or perpetuates misunderstandings about the millions Brazilian LGBT people and their supporters.

Swedish minister to take part in Baltic Pride 2010 in Vilnius

The Swedish minister for EU affairs Birgitta Ohlsson says she would participate in Vilnius’ gay pride parade in May, the Baltic News Service reported on Thursday. Ohlsson, who is currently on a working visit to Lithuania, said she would be delivering a speech at the event. “I will be among those participants who will give

Lithuanian law on the ‘protection’ of minors enters the statute book

BRUSSELS, 1 March 2010 — The Lithuanian Law on the Protection of Minors against the Detrimental Effects of Public Information is entering into force today. The law bars ‘minors’ from receiving information about any type of sexual relationships, and seeks to protect the ‘traditional’ concept of family defined by the Constitution as based on the

Homophobic law to enter into force in Lithuania

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE 26 February 2010 Amnesty International calls on the authorities of Lithuania to remove all restrictions on the distribution of public information relating to the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people decreed in a new law. The controversial “Law on the Protection of Minors against the Detrimental Effect of

Strasbourg 17.02.2010 – The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg, published today letters sent to the Prime Minister of Lithuania and to the Speaker of the Seimas (Parliament) on discrimination issues, minority rights and steps taken to investigate whether the CIA detained terrorist suspects on Lithuanian territory. The letters follow the Commissioner’s

European Parliament reaffirms LGBT rights are a condition to join the European Union

Today the plenary session of the European Parliament adopted reports on the accession to the European Union for Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Turkey. All three reports call on candidate countries to provide genuine protection to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender minorities, and remind candidate countries that the protection of all minorities

LGL urges Equal Opportunities Ombudsman to help trans people

Press release 2010 01 19 Association Lithuanian Gay League addressed the Equal Opportunities Ombudsman of Lithuania Ausrine Burneikiene with a letter urging to take action on discrimination of trans people and include their issues in implementation of equal opportunities politics in Lithuania. European Court of Human Rights repeatedly acknowledged in its case-law that 14 article of

Lithuania revises gay ‘promotion’ law, rights activists still wary

VILNIUS – Lithuanian lawmakers revised a controversial law on Tuesday that banned the promotion of homosexuality, but gay rights campaigners warned the move did nothing to assuage their concerns. In a 58-4 vote, with 25 abstentions, parliament approved amendments to legislation that sparked criticism from rights groups in Lithuania and abroad when it was passed

Compromise version of censorship law adopted in Lithuanian parliament

VILNIUS, Dec 22, – The Lithuanian Seimas on Tuesday adopted amendments to the Law on the Protection of Minors against the Detrimental Effects of Public Information to replace provisions in the previous edition which were deemed homophobic. The new bill bans information that could be seen as promoting sexual relations from reaching the country’s youth. The

LGL press review

On Wednesday, Committee on Education, Science and Culture (CESC) did not approve amendment which proposed public information which encourages homosexual, bisexual relations or polygamy to treat as having detrimental effect on minors. This amendment proposed by member of the Conservative Party Gintaras Songaila was approved by the Seimas in the discussion of the draft of