May 17 actions in Lithuania spread over three weeks, and three cities, and engaged strongly with the international focus on Freedom of Expression. Highlights included a high-profile opening reception co-hosted by 14 embassies, a bus-top tour in the capital city center, movie screenings, debates and discussion events, as well as many other actions.

Members of Lithuania’s principal LGBTI rights group, the Lithuanian Gay League (LGL), put together the following report (May 28, 2014):

The Rainbow Days 2014, a three-week long festival organized by LGL (Lithuanian Gay League) in celebration of IDAHOT (International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia), is coming to an end. These last few weeks have seen a number of cultural events happening in Vilnius and in other Lithuanian cities, all of them revolving around the topic of freedom of expression for the LGBT community.

Bus tour through the streets of Vilnius for IDAHOT 2014 in Lithuania. Source / more info

The Rainbow Days started on May 7 with a lecture on the situation for LGBT people in Russia. On the following week, we had a quiz on human rights, the screening of the movie Children of God, a reception hosted by thirteen foreign ambassadors. Following these events, the main moment of our Rainbow Days was organized on May 17: a yellow bus, filled with rainbow flags and colorful people, toured the streets of Vilnius to raise the awareness of the city on issues related to homophobia, biphobia and transphobia. On May 21, LGL presented the Baltic Pride 2013 photo-album, and a lecture followed on the challenges faced by queer artists. On May 22, LGL friends were invited to our office for the screening of the movie Roma Boys and a debate on intersectionality and multiple discrimination, and the following day the Rainbow Days moved to Kaunas, the second biggest city in Lithuania, for a lecture on the social construction of gender and another movie screening. Still one event is on our list: in a few days, on May 30, we will be in Klaipeda for a movie screening and a workshop on the relation between communities and social movements.

LGL is very satisfied with the success of the the Rainbow Days 2014. All the events organized saw a huge participation, and we believe that this initiative helped increasing the visibility of the LGBT community in Lithuania, as well as giving a space for the LGBT community itself to discuss topics that are fundamental for our activism and our strife for recognition of all rights.

Further Information

LGL: Website and on Facebook

Film screening of documentary Beyond the Pink Curtain, discussion and Pride video preview

On May 17th Lithuanian Gay League (LGL) screened “Beyond the Pink Curtain” at Cinema Skalvija in Vilnius (6:30 pm). The film looks at homophobia in both the East and West of Europe and the role of the European Union in anti-discrimination. The screening was followed by a discussion and launch event. Organisers offered the following report:

‘On 17 May 2013, i.e. International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO), the LGL organized the “three-in-one” event at Skalvija cinema centre: (1) the screening of the documentary film “Beyond the Pink Curtain”; (2) the following discussion, titled “Open and Safe?”; (3) the preview of the Baltic Pride 2013 promotional videos. The discussion mainly focused on the topic of public visibility of LGBT* individuals in Lithuania. The panel of the public discussion included psychologist, criminologist, LGL representatives and members of the local LGBT* community. As a result, the benefits and the possible negative consequences of living openly as an LGBT person in the Lithuanian society were discussed. In addition to this, the discussion addressed the following questions: why is it important to be open about one’s sexual orientation or gender identity? why the society does not accept individuals for who they are? what is hate crime and why it is committed? why the hate against LGBT* people gets so much public support? The questions from the audience were answered as well.

The general impression I got from the discussion is that there is so much unsaid things, which need just a simple conversation and a dialogue within the community itself. Taken in an account the extremely diverse background of the speakers in the pannel, the complexity of LGBT* every-day reality was captured quite successfully, thus effectively setting the tone for further conversation.’

On the eve of the Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, Lithuanian Gay League also drew attention to the often overlooked bisexual community by hosting a bi meet-up where people could discuss and share ideas, over coffee or tea (LGBT Centre in Vilnius, 6:30 pm). One of the organisers reported that the event was very successful, with more planned for the future:

‘It was really informal, cozy and structureless meeting where people coming from different backgrounds could feel safe and welcome. And it was great for everyone, to enjoy company of strangers whom we all had so much in common. We started with a small introduction of ourselves also answering a question “why I am here?”. Not every participant was bisexual, some of them were just curious about what the meeting will be about while others were genuinely interested in the topic.

Then we moved towards playing a game (which in fact was an informal training method) – biphobic bingo, where everyone had to talk to others and find out if they ever in their lives heard certain remarks, sayings of biphobic nature (like “you should make up your mind”, “I wish my girlfriend was bi too”, “I was bisexual once, before I turned gay”, “you are just scared to admit that you are gay”, etc). We have a lot of fun with this and used this fun method to discuss a lot of important issues like: coming out as a non monosexual person, biphobia and homophobia around us, LGBT movement and so on.

Our meeting ended with everyone saying that such peer group is useful and they would attend it again and again and invite friends with them too. In July, before Baltic Pride, I think we will have another meeting, this time it would be useful to bring an aspect of bi empowerment.’

For more details please see the facebook event page.

You can find out more information and make contact with the organisers through the LGL facebook page.

Postcard Campaign

The Lithuanian Gay League also sent a postcard to each Member of Parliament in Lithuania drawing their attention to the Council of Europe Recommendation CM/Rec(2010)5 to member states on measures to combat discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Pictures of members of Lithuanian Gay League staff sending the postcards to members of parliament:

The postcard says “We Recommend” and on the text on the back gives the Council of Europe recommendations in a nutshell.

LGL has recently published a monitoring report on the implementation of these recommendations, which can be read here.

Film screenings in Vilnius and Kaunas

Lithuanian Centre for Human Rights together with the Diversity and Education House and Lithuanian Medical Students’ Association also hosted two screenings of the film Right2Love followed by discussion: in Vilnius on the 14th (SoulBox 6 pm) and 17th in Kaunas (M.Žilinsko galerijos kino salė, 5 pm).

In addition to Member of Parliament Marija Aušrinė Pavilionienė, speakers at the conference included Ambassador of the Netherlands Kornelis Spaans, John Finkb einer, Political-Economic Chief at the Embassy of the United States, and Helle Jacobsen from Amnesty International.

The ambassadors to Lithuania of France, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Spain and the Czech Republic also hosted a joint reception for LGBT-friendly civil society, gathering representatives from various human rights organisations, ministries, public authorities and other institutions at the French Ambassador’s residence to celebrate achievements made in LGBT rights in Lithuania. In their speeches the host ambassadors shared their experiences and developments in their respective countries.

A seminar about the changing face of LGBT in the Lithuanian media was also held. Participants had the opportunity to learn about and discuss topics dominating the discourse about the LGBT community, who owns the discourse, and how this discourse has evolved.