The world is watching as Baltic Pride will March For Equality and it will be in city center
By Cathy Kristofferson, July 23, 2013
Today, some happy news out of Lithuania. The Lithuania Tribune is reporting that the “Chief Administrative Court of Lithuania … ordered Vilnius Municipality to allow a gay pride parade through the Lithuanian capital’s central Gediminas Avenue.”
This will close a long court battle with the Vilnius Municipality which sought to push the Baltic Pride 2013 March for Equality out of sight to a route on the city’s outskirts.
We have been covering the struggle here on OBLOGDEE and now are thrilled to report the Lithuanian Gay League’s win bringing good news out of a region that has seen so much anti-gay tumult!
In issuing its findings the independent Lithuanian High Court reprimanded the city authority saying:
“Democracy does not simply mean the reign of the majority attitude. By ensuring democratic pluralism, the state has positive duties to ensure effective use of the right to peaceful assemblies also for persons with non-popular views or minority members.”
It has been a struggle for the Lithuanian Baltic Pride 2013 committee hosting this year’s events. Their television PSAs have been declared “detrimental like alcohol and tobacco” and labeled “adult content” by Lithuanian government television, and so only run late at night.
The rainbow heart bus stop posters. “This is a human right” (shown on the left) were deemed ambiguous and ordered removed by the Municipal Public Order Department under threat of fines.
Please stay tuned for pictures when we report more on the actual day of Baltic Pride 2013 March for Equality as it finally takes to the streets of Vilnius Saturday!
The organizers and activists are to be supported for their courage and tenacity.
Interview today of Baltic Pride 2013’s co-organizer here.
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