After defending her thesis to receive a Master’s degree in education this spring, Vilnius University graduate Akvilė Giniotaitė shared her work with LGL. Her thesis explores how non-heteronormative sexuality and gender expression are approached in Lithuanian schools. Seeking perspective into how attitudes learned and reinforced in school contribute to a heteronormative society, she analyzed state

Lithuania Joins Equal Rights Coalition

On June 8th, 2017 during the meeting of the Permanent Mission of the Netherlands to the United Nations Office in Geneva (Switzerland), attended by representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania, Lithuania officially joined the international Equal Rights Coalition, which aims to strengthen international efforts to assure LGBT* human rights

Michigan Just Changed its Policy to Let Trans Prisoners Get Medical Treatment

Michigan has changed its policy on providing medically necessary treatments to transgender prison inmates. A new policy adopted by the Michigan Department of Corrections takes effect today which means transgender people can receive hormone therapy and other medical treatments while in prison. The change came after a trans woman incarcerated pushed the MDoC to change

German Lawmakers Approve Same-sex Marriage Bill

German lawmakers on Friday approved a bill that will extend marriage rights to same-sex couples. The measure passed in the lower house of the German Parliament, which is known as the Bundestag, by 393-226 vote margin with four abstentions. The vote took place less than a week after Chancellor Angela Merkel announced her position on

Justin Trudeau Marches With His Wife and Kids in Toronto Pride Parade

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has joined LGBT activists and allies in Toronto Pride. The Liberal PM joined marchers in the streets of the Canadian city to celebrate LGBT equality with his wife and two children. It’s not the first time the pro-equality leader has joined pride celebrations. Last year he became the first serving

Angela Merkel Softens Stance on Opposition to Same-sex Marriage

Angela Merkel has softened on her opposition to same-sex marriage. Chancellor Merkel has repeatedly ruled out calls to introduce equal marriage, saying: “For me, marriage is a man and a woman living together.” The upper house of the German Parliament  has previously passed symbolic motions calling for same-sex marriage. The German Chancellor on Monday for

Congress Passes Resolution Condemning LGBTQ Torture in Chechnya

Congress passed a bipartisan resolution on Tuesday condemning anti-LGBTQ persecution and violence in Chechnya. House resolution 351 was introduced on May 23 by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Florida Republican who has an out transgender son and is a frequent advocate for LGBTQ rights. Ros-Lehtinen is also a member of the House LGBT Equality Caucus. The

Vaping and Smoking in LGBTQ Community: Can we Understand it all?

As with any community that’s surrounded by such a life of alcohol, drugs, sex and high levels of stress, there is going to be a large amount of abuse nicotine abuse. With the recognition of this community becoming more and more popular, the public is starting to identify some of the problems that the community

On 19th June, 2017 Agneta Skardžiuvienė, Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson of the Republic of Lithuania, found that Telšiai Žemaitė Gymnasium violated the Law on Equal Treatment of the Republic of Lithuania by not ensuring the absence of discrimination and material promoting discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation in its curriculum. It has been confirmed that

D.C. to Allow Gender-Neutral Driver’s Licenses

At the direction of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, the city’s Department of Motor Vehicles will begin allowing residents to choose a gender-neutral “X” identifier on driver’s licenses and other city identification documents on June 26. The announcement on Tuesday by the mayor’s office of the soon to be available gender-neutral identification documents came on the

Paul Feinman Approved as First Openly Gay Judge on New York’s Highest Court

He fills seat left vacant by Judge Sheila Abdus-Salaam who was found dead in April. Justice Paul Feinman made history today by becoming the first openly gay judge on New York’s highest court. Feinman was nominated by Governor Andrew Cuomo to serve on the Court of Appeals and was confirmed by the state’s Republican-led Senate,

German High Court Rejects Parliamentary Vote on Same-sex Marriage

Governing coalition is divided on the issue and the lower house’s legal affairs committee has repeatedly deferred an official vote. Germany’s highest court has rejected an opposition party’s attempt to force a parliamentary vote on same-same marriage. The country has recognised civil partnerships for same-sex couples since 2001. While other countries have taken the next