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General description of the situation of homosexuals in Lithuania


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General description of the situation of homosexuals in Lithuania

Gay men and lesbians have long been a discrete minority in Lithuania facing widespread social prejudice and institutionalised discrimination. Before the Soviet occupation of Lithuania in 1940, there were no laws criminalising homosexual activity. At the same time, no information has so far been uncovered regarding lesbian or gay meeting places, or existence in the first half of this century of homosexual associations or publications.

From 1940 homosexual acts were criminalised and carried severe penalties under Soviet legislation. The law against consensual gay male contact remained essentially unchanged throughout the sixty years of its existance in Soviet Union and fifty three years of its validity in Lithuania. Before its repeal in 1993, it existed in its 1960 edition:

Article 122. Man Lying With Man: Sexual relations between men (man lying with man) shall be punishable by incarceration for a period of up to five years.

Independant Lithuania inherited Soviet prejudice and taboo on homosexuality. Homosexual acts were criminalised for three years since Lithuania declared independance from Soviet Union in 1990. Ministry of Justice denied the registration of the first national homosexual association in 1992. The repeal of sodomy law had been hammered out in legislation committees with no input from openly gay people. It was done under the international pressure of homosexual and other groups elsewhere in Europe and the insistence of the Council of Europe that Lithuania conform to basic human rights standards in order to gain membership.

In Lithuania, there are no laws to protect lesbians and gay men against discrimination. The draft version of the revised Penal Code neglects to include anti-discrimination legislation regarding sexual orientation. The old Soviet Civil Code exclude same-sex partners. Lesbians and gay men therefore face discrimination in inheritance, insurance, pension, child custody, etc. The unofficial marriage ceremony of two gay men in one of biggest churches in 1997 was condemned in media by Catholic church officials. The international research on human values reveals that Lithuania had the lowest index on acceptance of homosexuality in Europe in 1991. In 1997 it went up from 1,3 to 1,86 but is still amongst the lowest together with Poland and Hungary. Negative attitudes towards lesbians and gay men are extremely strong among older nationalist catholic citizens. Unfortunately this outlook is reflected in the policies of social institutions, particularly education and health services, which for the most part, deny the very existence of lesbians and gay men in this society. The President and the Speaker of the Parliament denied to speak about the situation of homosexuals in a recent television talkshow. The official registration of Lithuanian Gay League was delayed for a significant period by the Ministry of Justice, which insisted that since the word "gay" does not exist in the Lithuanian language, no group with that word in its name could be registered. The national health magazine sponsored by the Ministry of Health recently published a condemning article and labeled homosexuals as sick and perverted. The government run Youth Council denied funding for gay and lesbian human rights project. The negative reaction of the Catholic church has not only blocked initiatives at Government level, but has also contributed to a situation where many lesbians and gay individuals in Lithuania feel compelled by fear to remain in the closet.

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