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Issue 2025, 1: Download.
Features LGBTQ+ rights in Lithuania: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
On March 11, 2025, Lithuania commemorated the 35th anniversary of the restoration of its independence. On that historic day, it became the first republic to break away from the Soviet Union. Already in 1990, it pledged commitment to democracy, international law and human rights. In 1992, these principles were enshrined in its Constitution. An important indicator of a country’s commitment to democratic values is its respect for minority rights, including the rights of sexual and gender minorities. In 2016, I published an essay in this journal on the occasion of the third Baltic Pride held in Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius. The aim of the essay was to discuss developments in the area of LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, queer/questioning and others) rights after Lithuania’s accession to the European Union (EU) in 2004. Yet, as this article demonstrates, despite some progress, the reality for LGBTQ+ people in Lithuania remains complex and not quite rainbow-like.
Published in the printed edition of Baltic Worlds BW 2025:1 pages 109-118
Published on balticworlds.com on April 16, 2025
On March 11, 2025, Lithuania commemorated the 35th anniversary of the restoration of its independence. On that historic day, it became the first republic to break away from the Soviet Union. Already in 1990, it pledged commitment to democracy, international law and human rights. In 1992, these principles were enshrined in its Constitution. An important indicator of a country’s commitment to democratic values is its respect for minority rights, including the rights of sexual and gender minorities.
In 2016, I published an essay in this journal on the occasion of the third Baltic Pride held in Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius. The aim of the essay was to discuss developments in the area of LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, queer/questioning and others) rights after Lithuania’s accession to the European Union (EU) in 2004.[…] Yet, as this article demonstrates, despite some progress, the reality for LGBTQ+ people in Lithuania remains complex and not quite rainbow-like.
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