Openly Gay Candidate For Vilnius Mayor Proposes To His City

An openly gay candidate for mayor of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, proposed to his city on Valentine's Day. This action by Tomas Vytautas Raskevičius is intended to draw public attention to the fact that LGBT+ people are still not allowed to marry or register a civil union in Lithuania.

"Vilnius has always been the freest and bravest city in our country. When I become mayor, I will introduce legal recognition of same-sex couples, at least in the capital region," said the Member of Parliament and candidate for Vilnius mayor, representing the liberal Freedom Party.

Raskevičius has been actively fighting for the validation of same-sex partnerships in Lithuania on a national level for several years. His efforts were met with strong political opposition.

While the bill on civil unions passed the first hearing in the Lithuanian Parliament in May 2022, the legislation has not progressed further. Based on other countries' examples, Raskevičius has introduced an idea to provide both same-sex and different-sex couples with legal rights at least on the municipal level.

The capital of Lithuania will elect its mayor in March.