Lithuania to issue new homophobic law

Gay Pride marches like this one could be banned

The Lithuanian Parliament is set to pass a new law that fines with as much as €2900 any open discussion of homosexuality. The law reads:

... public promotion of homosexual relations is to be punished by a fine from 2,000 to 10,000 litas.

Amnesty International considers that Lithuania must reject this law.

Earlier this year Lithuania forbade, also by law, any kind of discussion of homosexuality or polyamory in schools.

In that case, AI, said that:

Far from protecting children, the law deprives young people of their right to freedom of expression and access to information and risks isolating children who are already amongst the most at risk of violence at school or within the family.

All very true. It is unbearable that in 21st century Europe we are witnessing this kind of reactionary attack against the freedoms of people even inside the European Union. In my opinion, all this should warrant a quarantine on Lithuania of the same kind as that imposed to Austria when they appointed neofascist politician Georg Heider as prime minister.

There should be no room for fascism in Europe and this kind of attack against freedom of speech and emotional expression is totally unacceptable. People have the right to choose the ways they find best for their sexual and emotional relationships and we all have the right of open information and debate on these matters.

It is a shame and a backdoor to fascism probably too.

You can take action by writing to the President of the Semias (Parliament) using the form available at Amnesty International's site (scroll to bottom).

Sources: Amnesty International (new law, earlier schools law)[en], Sare Antifaxista[es]