The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) and African LGBT Out and Proud Diamond Group protesting outside the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania - 27th Nov 2013.

The RMT is alarmed by reports of rising hostility towards Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) rights in Lithuania, and of attempts to introduce proposals to Parliament that attack the rights of Lithuania’s LGBT citizens.

We strongly oppose the proposals to:

• ban gender reassignment
• give legal protection to ‘criticism of homosexuality’ ie. anti-LGBT speech
• introduce administrative liability for ‘public denigration of constitutional moral values’
• attempt to restrict or ban same-sex parenting
• require the organisers of public meetings to pay the costs of their own security – meaning that events such as ‘Baltic Pride’ would have to pay prohibitive costs to protect themselves from homophobic attack.

We are pleased to hear that the government has opposed the first two of these proposals, and strongly urge the government to oppose the other three as well. We believe strongly in equality, freedom, rights and tolerance across Europe, and fully support those campaigning against homophobia and transphobia in every country.