July 01, 2009
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By Julie Bolcer
President Valdas Adamkus (pictured) of Lithuania last week vetoed a bill that would prohibit the discussion of homosexuality in schools, and ban references to gay and lesbian relationships in public places where children can see them, reports the UK-based Lesbian and Gay Foundation.
The Lithuanian parliament passed the bill, called the “Law on the Protection of Minors against the Detrimental Effect of Public Information,” on June 16. According to Human Rights Watch, which sent a letter asking Adamkus to veto the bill, the bill would ban all materials that “agitate for homosexual, bisexual and polygamous relations” from schools or other public places where they can be seen by youth, on the grounds that they have a “detrimental effect” on “the development of minors.”
Opponents of the bill had urged Adamkus to remember his country’s commitments to free expression as a member of the European Union, and as a signatory to the joint United Nations statement in December affirming that LGBT rights are human rights.
The Lithuanian parliament, formally known as the Seimas, could reverse the veto, but it would require an absolute majority of the 141-member body.
Thank God.
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