Tag: lithuania gay rights

Lithuania could legalise same-sex unions next year, says country’s only out lawmaker

Lithuania could be on the path to permitting same-sex couples to enter civil unions, the country’s only out lawmaker has suggested. Tomas Vytautas Raskevičius, a member of the progressive Freedom Party, is one of 11 MPs elected to represent the pro-LGBT+ party in the 141-seat Lithuanian Parliament in October. Speaking to Reuters, the lawmaker confirmed… Read more »

Senate Confirms Openly Gay Ambassador To Lithuania

The U.S. Senate on Thursday confirmed the nomination of Robert Gilchrist as the U.S. ambassador to Lithuania. Gilchrist is at least the fifth openly gay person to serve in an ambassadorial role under the Trump administration, the Washington Blade reported. Senators confirmed Gilchrist with a voice vote. President Donald Trump nominated Gilchrist, a career Foreign… Read more »

Baltic Pride attracts record number of people in Vilnius – photos updated

Around 10,000 people attended the March for Equality on Saturday, according to Baltic Pride organizers. Crowds of people descended from Bernardinai Gardens via Gediminas avenue to Lukiškes square, carrying flags from the Baltic states, Azerbaijan, Poland, Russia, Israel and other nations. This year, various political parties in Lithuania, corporations, as well as grassroot organisations took… Read more »

Lithuania’s LGBTI community refuse to hide away any more

Stonewall 50: Ahead of Baltic Pride, this writer says increasing LGBTI liberation in Lithuania is being matched by a rise in hate-motivated crimes The 12 June 2016 was the day that tore me in half. Nearly 12 months after the US Supreme Court issued a ground-breaking judgment that outlawed the ban on same-sex marriage as… Read more »

Lithuania’s top court grants residence permits for same-sex foreign spouses

The landmark ruling comes despite the fact that same-sex unions are still not legally recognized in Lithuania Lithuania’s top court has ruled that foreign spouses of gay citizens must be granted residence permits. The Constitutional Court ruled that denying residency permits to the spouses of gay Lithuanian citizens who had married abroad was discriminatory and… Read more »

Lithuania bans music video because it includes same-sex couples kissing

Pop singer, originally born in Ireland, slams the broadcaster for the decision Lithuania has banned a music video because it includes same-sex couples kissing. Skamp, a multiple award-winning band with a career spanning two decades, released their new song today (6 November). Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow is a beautiful song, sung in English,… Read more »

Arsonists target Lithuania’s only LGBT rights group in ‘vicious homophobic attack’

The office of the Lithuanian Gay League (LGL) – the country’s only non-governmental organisation representing LGBT+ people – has reportedly been targeted in an arson attack. The incident allegedly took place in Pylimo in the Old Town of Vilnius, Lithuania’s capital, at about 4am on Friday morning. The front door and door blinds of the… Read more »

Baltic Pride: ‘Love & Peace Always Wins’

Baltic Pride will be held in Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius, this weekend. While prejudice and discrimination remain, LGBT lives are changing for the better, say organizers. Paulina Bradunaite was twelve-years-old the first time Baltic Pride graced the streets of Vilnius, Lithuania, in 2010. It was the first successful display of any LGBT rights march through in… Read more »

Lithuania Opens Door to Gay Chechens Fleeing Persecution, While U.S. Slams It Shut

Survivors of prison camps in Russia are looking for some place to go. Gay Russian men are attempting to flee their country amid a wave of detention, torture, and killing in the country’s southern region of Chechnya. Now Lithuania has become one of the first countries to grant two of those persecuted refuge, while the… Read more »

Lithuanian army refuses gays – by asking recruits if they like flowers

1After Lithuania re-introduced mandatory services, conscripts are being asked questions to determine their sexuality. The randomly-selected men have to complete a psychological test to asses their suitability. According to the Lithuania Tribune, questions include asking if they like flowers or have ever considered becoming florist. They are also asked if they have ever wanted to… Read more »