by Simonas Bartulis

Does the October general elections hold any promise for Lithuania’s LGBTQ community? While some major parties have backslid on issues like legalising same-sex partnership, LGBTQ voters and allies have more choice than in any previous election, argues Simonas Bartulis.

“Overall, there is no freedom for people in Lithuania. There is freedom only for homosexualists [sic], transvestites, and lesbians,” said Astra Astrasukaitė, a candidate with the Centre Party, during a recent televised election debate.

The quote illustrates a popular myth in Lithuania that LGBTQ+ rights have received disproportionate attention and their activists have thus far won all political battles. Often repeated by staunch conservatives and traditionalists, the myth serves to either deflect the issue – maintaining that LGBTQ+ rights are already enforced to the fullest – or attack them as a greedy, totalitarian plot.

This myth is as factually incorrect as it is prominent. The reality of much of the human rights politics in Lithuania, and especially topics that are more controversial, is that there has been little positive legislation for decades. The last effort to shore up the rights of Lithuania’s LGBTQ+ community was in 2004 when the parliament, Seimas, passed the Law on Equal Opportunities. Since then, marginal improvements came through the courts – local or European – but not through legislation.

Given the erosion of LGBTQ+ rights in Lithuania, could the upcoming elections buck the trend?

Party positions

If you look at the conservative Homeland Union party (TS-LKD), which is leading in the polls, their presidential candidate last year was much braver in supporting same-sex partnership than she is now. In debates, Ingrida Šimonytė refuses to answer the question, saying the party has no unified position on the matter. Of course, presidential and party elections are different, and she had more leeway to give her personal take last year.