2 March 2011,
press release
Prof. Marija Auðrinë Pavilionienë, Chair of the Seimas Ad-hoc Group “For
Equality” met with high US officials in Washington – staff members of the
Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs of the US State Department, the Bureau
of Democracy, the Human Rights and Labor Department
of the US Department of State, the Open Society Foundations and the Council for
Global Equality and Women’s Democracy Network, the National Network to End
Domestic Violence, the Lithuanian American Community
and sexual minorities’ organisations, during her visit to the US. The meetings
also saw members of the US Congress, representatives of various public
organisations and civil society. Following the request of Mr Mark Bromley,
Chair of the Council for Global Equality, Prof. Pavilionienë
shared her experience of supporting and defending the rights of lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transsexual people and women in Lithuania. The participants were
interested to hear Prof. Pavilionienë’s opinion about
draft legislation related to violations of sexual minority rights, unfulfilled
women’s reproductive rights, domestic violent human rights abuses and family
policy in Lithuania, that has been recently
deliberated or is currently under deliberation at the Lithuanian Seimas.
Prof. Pavilionienë together with the US officials and members of
civil organisations discussed the possibilities of joining forces and combining
experiences of the states to spread and implement the ideas of democracy,
gender and social group equality and equal opportunities, emphasizing the
significance of human rights and freedoms as an essential victory of modern
society.
During
the meetings at the State Department, the Chair of the Seimas Ad-Hoc Group “For
Equality” invited the participants of the discussion to co-operate in educating
the Lithuanian society on the issues of the complexity of human nature and
sexual identity and to support those who foster and defend sexual minority
rights in Lithuania.
Artûras Rudomanskis
Public
Assistant to Seimas Member “Group For
Equality”
