Media Reporting and Reference Guide on LGBT Issues

In May 2013, the National LGBT rights organization LGL approached the national broadcaster
LRT with an inquiry about the possibility of broadcasting promotional videos for the Baltic
Pride 2013 on national television. On 4 July 2013, the national broadcaster indicated that
the videos can be broadcasted only during the restricted timeframes <strong>and</strong> marked with
corresponding age indexes.
In 2014, two Lithuanian commercial channels refused to air a video clip, produced by LGL,
which was a part of a social campaign “Change It”.
In 2014, the Lithuanian publisher of “Amber Heart” (“Gintarinė širdis”), a children’s fairytale
book featuring two stories with gay protagonists, removed the book from circulation on
the grounds of an opinion given by the Inspector of Journalist Ethics.
The application of this law with the view of censoring LGBT related public information has
caused a chilling effect among the online media outlets, as they have started br<strong>and</strong>ing news
items pertaining to LGBT issues as suitable only for adults. It can be concluded that the
limited positive information about LGBT issues in the public sphere further reinforces a
socially hostile atmosphere for LGBT people in Lithuania.
There are many TV shows <strong>and</strong> films including LGBT roles shown on Lithuanian televisions.
However, these shows are not created in Lithuania. There are no Lithuanian TV shows
including an LGBT role.
3. National legal framework on hate speech, hate crime <strong>and</strong>
discrimination.
The general prohibition of discrimination on the ground of sexual orientation in the
Lithuanian legal system is established by the Law on Equal Opportunities, which transposes
the Employment Equality Framework Directive 2000/78/EC. The scope of the national
equality legislation is much wider than m<strong>and</strong>ated by the EU Directive, i.e. discrimination
on the ground of sexual orientation is prohibited not only in the sphere of employment <strong>and</strong>
occupation but also in the spheres of provision of goods <strong>and</strong> services, education <strong>and</strong> in the
course of actions by all public authorities.
The prohibition of discrimination on the ground of sexual orientation is also established
in the Labor Code (Article 2.1, Article 26, Article 59.2 <strong>and</strong> Article 75.1.2), the Law on the
Protection of Minors against the Detrimental Effect of Public Information (Article 4.2.12)
<strong>and</strong> the Law on Provision of Information to the Public (Article 19.1.3). Article 170 of the
Criminal Code prohibits incitement to hatred based on sexual orientation (i.e. prohibition of
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