Just arrived back from Vilnius after attending the ILGA-Europe Conference 2007 which as always is enjoyable, thought provoking and rejuvenating as well as humbling. It was particularly humbling this year as we saw first hand, what it is like to have a gay rally banned by the mayor. Usually we are invited to a civic reception! We were also subjected to a counter demonstration outside the hotel where the conference was held and more frighteningly smoke bombs were let off in the clubs that we were socialising in and some delegates were threatened. At least some of us can go home to our relatively safe countries where we are accorded protection from discrimination. Not so our friends from Lithuania. Fortunately, there were high profile guests and politicians who witnessed these events and the media coverage was very wide - now at least the Lithuanian Government know we are watching.
See BBC News and ILGA-Europe for further details of media coverage of the incidents and the conference.
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