Once again, LGBT people were not welcome on Lithuanian national television. Two commercial channels refused to air a video clip, produced by the national LGBT rights organization LGL, simply aimed at changing the negative attitudes of the public towards the LGBT community.

Although there are absolutely no shocking or intimate images in the video, the commercial broadcasters were, it seems, too afraid of violating the law on “Protection of Minors against the Detrimental Effect of Public Information.”

This video is part of the campaign “Change it,” which invites people to learn more about LGBT people (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) by looking at the world through their eyes.

The video presents frequently encountered assumptions about LGBT people: “Their lifestyle is unacceptable,” “This cannot be love,” “How can you call it a family” and more.

The authors of the video answer these questions with scenes from the daily lives of LGBT people and their allies: young people rolling some dice, two persons showing affection to each other, two girls walking in the street holding hands. “Love is love” and “family is family” are the final statements that summarize the video, and they are shown before some provided facts and figures.

The Eurobarometer survey data shows that only 12% of Lithuanian citizens declare having one LGB friend or acquaintance, only 3% a transgender one. “The remaining 88% also have LGBT persons in their lives, they just don’t realize it.” This the message of the campaign.

The authors of the video claim, and stress, that discrimination against LGBT people may affect everyone’s loved ones. At the same time, the audience is encouraged to sign a petition to express support for LGBT human rights and to ensure the consolidation of these rights here in Lithuania.

LGL organized a public procurement to air the video.

A week ago “Lietuvos Rytas TV,” one of the Lithuanian commercial channels, stated that LGL should “cut off the end of the video”, or in LGL Board Chair Vladimir Simonko’s words, “castrate it”, in order for it to be aired. Another channel, “LNK”, did not reply at all, and the letter sent by “TV3” on Tuesday suggested that the inspector of journalistic ethics be consulted first.

Vladimir Simonko believes that this attitude is equivalent to censorship and, sadly, that this happens repeatedly. A similar situation presented itself last year, when the national television channel LRT agreed to broadcast the Baltic Pride promotional video only late at night. The video was considered to have a negative impact on minors. The inspector of journalistic ethics Zita Zamžickienė then issued a ruling in favor of the broadcaster.

Vladimir Simonko of LGL has issued the following statement:

“I do not know whom to blame: the channels or the law? In 2010 the controversial law on the Protection of Minors against the Detrimental Effect of Public Information passed and, though it was criticized by international organizations such as “Amnesty International,” “Human Rights Watch,” and “ILGA-Europe,” it has been put in practice repeatedly. We have heard in various international events that the provision of the law is dead, but when someone considers it necessary, it is still perfectly applicable.

“This law is almost identical to Putin’s provisions, the ones that are criticized all over the world. How may such a law, for which everybody criticizes Russia, be in place in the territory of the European Union? It is like a Trojan horse that could set a precedent, once it becomes common knowledge that you can talk about LGBT people only after midnight in Lithuania. Maybe next time they will put us in jail for providing information?

“For me, as a European, it is sad and really worrying that such things happen in a supposedly democratic country. The officials are passively monitoring the situation.”

According to Vladimir Simonko, this conclusion originates not only from the censorship of these videos by Lithuanian television. A few months ago the fairy tale book Amber Heart, by author Neringa Dangvydė, which includes characters in same-sex couples, was permanently withdrawn from sale.