Joint Statement from Ambassadors to Lithuania for the International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) 2025 - Lithuania
Joint Statement from Ambassadors to Lithuania for the International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) 2025
17th May marks the date in 1990 when homosexuality was removed from the World Health Organisation’s Classification of Diseases, thereby acknowledging that sexual orientation is an integral aspect of a person. However, over three decades later, LGBTQI+ communities still face intolerance, prejudice, discrimination, and misunderstanding. Even worse, they experience disproportionate rates of harassment and violence in many countries.
On the International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT), we – the Ambassadors to Lithuania – reaffirm our commitment to advancing and advocating in favour of the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex people. A person’s sexual orientation and gender identity should never cause them to be the victim of prejudice, discrimination, or hate crimes. We salute IDAHOBIT as a celebration of human diversity and tolerance around the world and an opportunity to express solidarity with the LGBTQI+ community.
We express support for the members of the LGBTQI+ community in Lithuania, our own countries and elsewhere, as they seek equal rights. We welcome the recent legal progress towards the recognition of same-sex civil unions, as the court ruled that prejudice in society cannot be grounds for restricting fundamental rights, in line with the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. Whilst fully respecting democratic processes, we hope that Lithuania will adopt successfully legislation recognising and protecting same-sex couples and their families, along with a fair and equitable framework for legal gender recognition.
We appreciate sincerely and greatly all who are organising, working, and volunteering to ensure equal rights for the LGBTQI+ community in Lithuania and beyond. We look forward to upcoming events, particularly Baltic Pride 2025 and the ILGA-Europe conference on LGBTQI+ rights taking place in Vilnius this year.
Yvonne Tončić-Sorinj, Ambassador of Austria
Jeanette Sautner, Ambassador of Canada
Grete Sillasen, Ambassador of Denmark
Kaili Terras, Ambassador of Estonia
Jaakko Lehtovirtat, Ambassador of Finland
Alix Everard, Ambassador of France
Cornelius Zimmermann, Ambassador of Germany
Solveiga Silkalna , Ambassador of Latvia
Séadhna MacHugh, Ambassador of Ireland
Hadas Wittenberg Silverstein, Ambassador of Israel
Jack Twiss Quarles van Ufford, Ambassador of The Netherlands
Atle Konta Midttun, Ambassador of Norway
Nieves Blanco Díaz, Ambassador of Spain
Lars Wahlund, Ambassador of Sweden
Martin Michelet, Ambassador of Switzerland
Liz Boyle, Ambassador of United Kingdom