Recent news
Fairy tale banned under Lithuanian ‘anti-propaganda’ law
Wednesday, the Lithuanian Office of the Inspector of Journalist Ethics concluded that a book containing fairy tales for children violates the Law on the Protection of Minors against the Detrimental Effect of Public Information, and should be made unavailable to children under 14. …
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Posted in: Press releases, Recent news on May 9th, 2014
Situation for LGBT people worsens in Russia, Crimea and Ukraine
The Crimean crisis has led to increased tensions for LGBT individuals in Ukraine, the territory of Crimea, and Russia. Russia and the territory of Crimea Following the Russian annexation of Crimea, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals are now subject to the …
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Posted in: Press releases, Recent news on April 29th, 2014
Malta votes for civil unions, non-discrimination for transgender individuals, mutual recognition
On Monday evening, the Parliament of Malta voted to allow same-sex couples to enter civil unions and adopt children; amend the constitution to forbid discrimination against transgender people; and ensure same-sex marriages conducted abroad would be recognised. Civil unions The …
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Posted in: Press releases, Recent news on April 16th, 2014
Georgia Prime Minister calls for constitutional ban on equal marriage
At the end of March, Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili introduced an amendment to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman in the constitution. The amendment allegedly purports to avoid “misinterpretation” of an anti-discrimination bill which was …
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Posted in: Press releases, Recent news on April 8th, 2014
Plenary summary: MEPs urge Member States to speak out for LGBTI people at United Nations
In a recommendation adopted yesterday, the European Parliament calls on EU Member States to speak out for LGBTI rights at the United Nations General Assembly, which will convene in September 2014.
The Parliament expresses concern over “the recent increase in discriminatory laws and practices, and acts of violence against individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity.”
Posted in: Parliamentary work, Recent news on April 4th, 2014
European Parliament wants guaranteed free movement for LGBT people
Yesterday the European Parliament adopted a non-binding resolution on justice, freedom and security in Europe. The resolution contains strong wording on the free movement of all families. In its report on the mid-term review of the Stockholm Programme, the European Parliament …
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Posted in: Press releases, Recent news on April 3rd, 2014
Historic EU-Africa Summit overshadowed by anti-LGBT laws
The fourth EU-Africa Summit is taking place in Brussels since yesterday, and although not officially on the agenda, extremely harsh new anti-LGBT laws are on leaders’ minds. MEPs demonstrating against anti-LGBT laws in Plenary The summit brings together the heads of state …
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Posted in: Press releases, Recent news on April 3rd, 2014
Kyrgyz Parliament considering homophobic ‘anti-propaganda’ law
On March 26, the Kyrgyz Parliament published a draft bill, proposing to impose tough sanctions for anyone speaking or acting in a way that creates “a positive attitude toward nontraditional sexual relations”.
Tags: council of europe freedom of assembly freedom of speech kyrgyzstan propaganda lawPosted in: Press releases, Recent news on March 31st, 2014
Court of Justice: EU law does not guarantee maternity leave for mothers using surrogacy
Yesterday, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that women who become mothers via surrogacy do not have an automatic right to maternity leave under EU law. However, the court stressed that Member States are free to provide …
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Posted in: Press releases, Recent news on March 19th, 2014
MEPs condemn homophobic statements by the Archbishop of Cyprus
At the Council of the Heads of the Christian Orthodox Church held in Istanbul last week, Cyprus’ Archbishop Chrysostomos urged all Orthodox Churches to “condemn homosexuality.”
Tags: cyprus hate speech homophobiaPosted in: Press releases, Recent news on March 17th, 2014
2010 The European Parliament's Intergroup on LGBT Rights