Lithuanian LGBT community to celebrate IDAHOT and Rainbow Days

What will happen in Vilnius?

We will start slowly with the workshop on “LGBT* Myth Busters” at the Faculty of Medicine (Vilnius University). The workshop will take place on May 12th at 5 PM and it is organized in cooperation with the Lithuanian Medical Student’s Association.

Opening ceremony of the Rainbow Days will take place on the 14th of May. Among the events offered for this day will be a seminar on importance of the LGBT* allyship (including comedian Oleg Šurajev, politician Aušrinė Armonaitė, comedian Paulius Ambrazevičius, and photographer Neringa Rekašiūtė), a Drag Performance and an art exhibition by the local LGBT* community artists will also be organised.

The 15th shall be more politically focused. The national LGBT* rights association LGL will present the brand new LGBT Anti-Discrimination Plan in the course of the press conference in the Lithuanian Parliament. The press conference will be hosted by MP Dalia Kuodytė. Later on, the signatures of the petition “Change It” will be delivered to the Lithuanian President by the LGL’s Board Chair Elena Dapkūnaitė and the LGL’s Executive Director Vladimir Simonko. In the evening the programme „Without Labels“ of the Vilnius University Students Representation, Vilnius LGBT* festival „Kreivės“, Tolerant Youth Association (TYA) and Goethe Institut in Lithuania invites you for a screening of the German „Heavy Girls“ under the night sky of Vilnius in one of the courtyards of the historic Vilnius University.

On the 16th, the Rainbow Bus will be rolling in the streets of Vilnius once again! This time the biggest rainbow flag in the country will be displayed at an unexpected location. Positive energy and an exciting atmosphere is guaranteed. Finally to celebrate the IDAHOT’s eve, we are waiting for you at SOHO Nightclub’s Rainbow Days Party. We will be spreading love and tolerance because… Love is Louder!

And finally here we go: IDAHOT 2015, the big day! The day will start with the event “Trans-Pizza”, dedicated to transgender individuals. This will be a brilliant opportunity to discuss the expectations by the local trans* community in the light of current policy and legal developments. Teleconferencing will be arranged with trans* individuals residing abroad. At 2 PM we are meeting at Lukiškės Square – the Tolerant Youth Association (TJA) is organizing an Open Mic event under the title “Be Heard – LGBTQI Tribune at Lukiškės“. And what about the afternoon? The afternoon will be cinema-time with the Movie „Loose Cannons“ (2010), a witty, ironic and a little bit dramatic story about LGBT* every-day life under the hot Italian sun. The movie will be in Italian but there will be English and Lithuanian subtitles. The movie screening is a present form the Embassy of Italy and the Italian Cultural Institute and it will be for free!

What about Kaunas and Klaipėda?

On May 19th, Kaunas will celebrate its Rainbow Day with the Workshop “LGBT* Myth Busters”. The workshop is aimed at giving more insights on LGBT* people – who are they? Are they demanding for “special rights”? What problems this social group is facing in the course of their daily lives? The 90-minute session of LGBT* myth busters will answer all these questions. The participants will include members and volunteers of the national LGBT* rights association LGL. The event is open for everyone! Finally, some cinema for everybody with the free screening of the movie “Loose Cannons“ (2010), a witty, ironic and a little bit dramatic story about LGBT* every-day life under the hot Italian sun. The movie is a present form the Embassy of Italy and the Italian Cultural Institute. The movie will be in Italian but there will be English and Lithuanian subtitles. The movie will be followed by a panel discussion on LGBT* representation in media. The panelists will include one of the organizers of the festival Kreivės Edvin Grin, the authors of the sensational same-sex kiss on Facebook Pijus Beizaras & Mangirdas Levickis and public figure Viktorija Ūke.

On the 20th, the Rainbow Days wave will finally hit Klaipėda. The day will start with the Workshop “LGBT* Myth Busters”. The workshop is aimed at giving more insights on LGBT* people – who are they? Are they demanding for “special rights”? What problems this social group is facing in the course of their daily lives? The 90-minute session of LGBT* myth busters will answer all these questions. The participants will include members and volunteers of the national LGBT* rights association LGL. The event is open for everyone! Finally, some cinema for everybody with the free screening of the movie “Loose Cannons“ (2010), a witty, ironic and a little bit dramatic story about LGBT* every-day life under the hot Italian sun. The movie is a present form the Embassy of Italy and the Italian Cultural Institute. The movie will be in Italian but there will be English and Lithuanian subtitles. The movie will be followed by a panel discussion on LGBT* representation in media. The panelists will include the local LGBT* community members.

Please note that some events will be in Lithuanian language only.

Further information on times and locations are available on the LGL website and Facebook page.