Lithuania

In Lithuania, same-sex sexuality is legal, but same-sex couples cannot marry or be legally recognized in any form. In fact, the constitution restricts marriage between a man and a woman. As of 2022, transgender people no longer have to undergo medical intervention to change their legal gender markers, although they still need a diagnosis of “transgenderism” from a health care professional. In 2009, Lithuania passed a law that made it illegal for minors to be exposed to information that promoted same-sex relations or concepts of the family outside of those in the constitution. In December 2024, the Constitutional Court declared the law unconstitutional. 

LGBTIQ people continue to face violence, including sexual abuse. A survey conducted by the national queer organization in 2023 showed that LGBT students aged 14 to 19 felt more insecure about their sexual orientation in the classroom compared to the previous survey from 2017. Over six hundred students participated in the survey, which examined their experiences between 2021 and 2022.

Public opinion on LGBTIQ issues is generally conservative. The 2023 Eurobarometer found that only 39 percent of Lithuanians thought same-sex marriage should be allowed throughout Europe, while only 42 percent agreed that "there is nothing wrong in a sexual relationship between two persons of the same sex." Pride marches have been held in Lithuania since 2009, and in 2021, a Pride march was held outside the capital city for the first time, in Kaunas.

*Outright research indicates that the bodily autonomy of intersex people is not respected and protected in this country.