Draft Gender Reassignment Laws Need More Work

September 14, 2015

Lithuanian Government should improve draft law proposals on transgender rights – claim HRMI and Lithuanian Gay League in their joint submission to the Committee of Ministers.

The submission evaluates the steps the Lithuanian Government took so far to implement European Court of Human Rights judgement in the case of L v Lithuania (2007). The court ruled Lithuania violated the rights of transgender applicant by failing to adopt legal gender reassignment procedures.

The Government prepared a package of draft laws aiming to regulate medical gender reassignment and legal recognition of gender reassignment.

HRMI and LGL drew the Committee’s attention that the proposals of the Government’s task force fall short of the European and international standards in this area. European Council member states are obliged to create quick, transparent and accessible procedures, allowing transgender people to change their name and gender in personal documents.

The Government however suggests that these changes can be made only upon receiving a certificate from an unspecified health institution, and the draft law fails to forsee proceedings or criteria for issuing such certificate. This is only one of the shortcomings of the Government’s proposals.

More on protection of transgender rights in Lithuania – in our Human Rights Overview, accessible in English at: www.pasidomek.lt