Minister Homans to Baltic Pride

On  18 June Minister Homans attended the Baltic Pride in Vilnius. Together with General Representative Wantens, the Minister received an award in recognition for the Flemish support for the Baltic Pride.

This annual parade for LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) takes place alternately in Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania and aims creating more tolerance for LGBT people in the Baltic States. The social acceptance of LGBT people in these countries is significantly lower than in Flanders or other European countries. Also in terms of legal recognition of relationships and non-discrimination, there is still considerable room for improvement.

Minister Homans: "By being here, I would like to point out to the local politicians that it is their duty to respect human rights and therefore LGBT rights. LGBT rights should be placed high on the political agenda in every country. "

In Vilnius Minister Homans also had a meeting with the Ombudswoman for Equal Opportunities of the Lithuanian Parliament, Agneta Lobacevskyte. They discussed the EU anti-discrimination directive and the referendum on the registered partnership.

General Representation of the Government of Flanders in the Baltic States