Lithuania Lawmakers debated numerous proposals to restrict LGBTI rights to freedom of expression and assembly, although none were adopted this year. Proposals were mostly the work of two rogue lawmakers, but received support from MPs across political groups (the Liberal Movement alone systematically opposed anti-LGBTI initiatives). Ominously, two fairy tales and a video presenting LGBTI families as being equal to others were banned, or saw their broadcasting severely restricted. MPs also actively kept legal gender recognition off the statute books.
104 ILGA-Europe Annual Review 2015 Access to goods and services Education l The Office of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson l In December, the Ministry of Education and Science found that a sticker depicting two men having sex under established a working group to develop a curriculum for the slogan “STOP AIDS” on the door of a supermarket’s sexuality education. The group included representatives security room violated the Law on Equal Opportunities, and from the Confederation of Archbishops, as well as the ordered the supermarket to remove it. The ombudsperson anti-equality National Association of Families and Parents. also asked a gym in Kaunas to remove a sticker featuring a No women’s rights or LGBTI organisations were invited to rainbow-coloured rooster with a diagonal line running join. through it. Equality and non-discrimination Bias-motivated speech l In January, the archdiocese of Vilnius granted the use l A young man named Šarūnas from the district of of a building to the city council. The space, currently Biržai committed suicide in January, seemingly due to his hosting a church and a monastery, will welcome an fear that his sexual orientation would be disapproved of. elementary school, a cultural venue, and a concert hall. National NGOs have expressed frustration that no policy Website 15min.lt reported that the lease signed between initiatives or broader public discussion on the dangers of Church and city authorities classified certain activities as homophobic and transphobic bullying took place in the forbidden, including anything related to homosexuality. aftermath of this event. l In November, the parliament rejected a candidate for l In June, MPs continued to examine amendment the post of Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson. During XIIP-687 to the Criminal Code, which would legally protect her hearing, lawyer Diana Gumbrevičiūtė-Kuzminskienė bias-motivated speech. MPs sent the proposal to the expressed support for the legal recognition of same-sex Committee on Education, Science and Culture for further unions. Several MPs criticised her views as well as her debate. In December, the committee unanimously sent involvement with LGL and other LGBTI causes. The post the proposal back to its authors for improvement. remained unfilled at the end of year. l In December, two young men came out to their friends by publishing a photo on Facebook showing a Family kiss between them. The NGO Lithuanian Gay League l In January, Petras Gražulis (TT) put forward an (LGL) complained to the Office of the Prosecutor amendment to the Law on Children’s Rights Protection to General that numerous comments called for violence forbid same-sex couples from adopting Lithuanian against the boys because of their sexual orientation, children abroad. The parliament’s legal service warned sanctioned under the Criminal Code. On 30 December that the amendment would run counter to the European 2014, the Prosecutor refused to start a pre-trial Convention on Human Rights. The proposal echoed a investigation. LGL appealed this decision before the similar Russian policy (see Russia). national courts. l Reacting to the legalisation of cohabitation agreements in neighbouring Estonia (see Estonia), Justice Bias-motivated violence Minister Juozas Bernatonis (Social Democratic Party, LSDP) l The Vilnius District Court abandoned a case against said that “civil partnerships won’t be considered as long as MP Petras Gražulis (Order and Justice, TT, nationalist/ [he is] the minister.” populist), chair of his party’s parliamentary group, who l A constitutional amendment from December 2013, broke police lines protecting the Baltic Pride to attack which sought to specify that ‘family life’ refers to marchers in 2013. The court’s decision follows MPs’ 2013 marriage, motherhood or fatherhood, lapsed in 2014, as vote to uphold his parliamentary immunity. the Committee on Legal Affairs failed to deliver an
ILGA-Europe Annual Review 2015 105 opinion on the proposal. The parliament was due to be hidden from under-14s. The inspector’s office cited the assign it to a new committee in 2015. controversial 2010 Law on the protection of minors against the detrimental effects of public information, explaining that Foreign policy the fairy tales “encourag[ed] the concept of entering a l In February , MP Petras Gražulis (TT) at the marriage and creating a family other than stipulated in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe praised Constitution”. The book, which also contained children’s Russia’s ‘anti-propaganda’ laws. Mr Gražulis explained the stories about ethnic minorities, Roma people, and people European Union was “a cradle of decay” bringing “evil” to with disabilities, was withdrawn from shelves and from its Member States. Both socialist and Christian-democratic the editor’s catalogue. In September, current Lithuanian delegates criticised his comments. Ombudsperson for Children’s Rights and acting l Commenting on the coming out of Latvian Foreign Ombudsperson for Equal Opportunities Edita Žiobienė Affairs Minister Edgars Rinkevičs in November (see sternly criticised the inspector’s decision, adding that the Latvia), Speaker of the Seimas Loreta Graužinienė (LSDP) Law on the protection of minors could be incompatible commented that out of “frankness”, he should have come with the Law on equal opportunities. Human rights NGOs out prior to his appointment. Foreign Affairs Minister Linas republished the book in December after raising funds. Linkevičius (LSDP) had a friendlier reaction. l LGL produced a video addressing negative “Edgars, my friend, I admire your courage and stereotypes about LGBTI people, showing snapshots from sincerity!” the lives of same-sex couples, and informing viewers that Tweet by Foreign Affairs Minister Linas Linkevičius, they may have LGBTI people in their own social circle. (@LinkeviciusL) 7 November Lrytas TV asked for the video to be edited, TV3 asked the Office of the Inspector of Journalist Ethics to certify the Freedom of assembly video was legal, and LNK ignored requests to air it. In l The Rainbow Days, a three-week festival in May, took September, the ethics inspector’s experts unanimously place undisturbed. It featured private and public events, agreed the video could have a “negative influence on including a rainbow bus that toured Vilnius on minors” because it featured LGBTI symbols. The Union of International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. Lithuanian Psychologists disagreed. Following the In July, the Sapho Fest took place in the district of inspector’s decision, TV3 agreed to air the video after Papiškai, attracting 200 participants. In August, the 11pm if it was marked as unsuitable for minors. In October, week-long LGBTI movie festival Kreivės was held in Vilnius. LGL appealed the inspector’s decision before the Vilnius Regional Administrative court; the court declared itself Freedom of expression incompetent. Activists appealed before the Supreme l In March, MPs postponed the adoption of Bill Administrative Court, which rejected the appeal in XIP-4490(2). The bill sought to punish the “public December. In October, LGL and ILGA-Europe lodged a denigration of constitutional moral values” with fines of complaint before the European Commission, claiming the up to LTL 6,000 (EUR 1,800). Its author Petras Gražulis (TT) law breached the European Union’s 2010 Audiovisual cited Prides as events contradicting morality, and said he Media Services Directive. would “personally go to court and see administrative penalties imposed” if he saw homosexual relationships Legal gender recognition “promoted”. l In July, the parliament rejected a comprehensive l In May, the Lithuanian Office of the Inspector of reform of the Law on civil registry (XIP-2017(3)) and of the Journalist Ethics concluded that two fairy tales featuring Civil Code (XIP-2018(3)), because one of its amendments same-sex attraction were “harmful to minors”, and should would have allowed trans individuals to change their legal
106 ILGA-Europe Annual Review 2015 gender. (In 2007, the European Court of Human Rights had condemned Lithuania in the case L. v Lithuania (application no. 27527/03) because its laws mentioned the possibility of changing one’s legal gender, but lacked any procedure to do so. The government sought to address the gap with this amendment.) The bill was returned to the Ministry of Justice with instructions to remove the article on legal gender recognition.
Participation in public, cultural and political life l In April, the National Radio and Television Network (LRT) aired a debate between presidential candidates on social issues, including LGBTI issues. Zigmantas Balčytis (LSDP) said he “respect[ed] the issues sexual minorities [were] facing”, and he would seek to “educate society”. Artūras Zuokas (Lithuanian Liberty Alliance, a local party), Mayor of Vilnius, said he opposed equal marriage, but would favour registered partnerships. Artūras Paulauskas (Labour Party, DP, liberal) and Bronis Ropė (Peasant and Greens Union, LVŽS, green) opposed any rights being granted. (Mr Ropė was later elected to the European Parliament and sits with Greens/EFA) Valdemaras Tomasevskis (Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania, LLRA, Christian-democratic) fumed that homosexuality was “a disease and an evil force”. l LGL reported that despite their repeated best efforts, Speaker of the Seimas Loreta Graužinienė (DP) repeatedly avoided meeting them to hear concerns about eight legislative proposals detrimental to the rights of LGBTI people. Her office explained that she wouldn’t have any time in 2014. l In June, news portal delfi.lt published a list of openly LGBTI individuals nationwide to increase their visibility.
Public opinion l In a January survey by the Chamber of Notaries, 11% of respondents supported the introduction of same-sex partnerships, 79% opposed it, and 10% didn’t answer.
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