Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in Lithuania have gradually evolved over the years, although LGBT people continue to face legal and societal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Same-sex sexual activity between consenting adults has been legal since 1993. Marriages are limited to opposite-sex couples only by the 1992 constitution. In April 2025, the Constitutional Court of Lithuania ruled that the absence of legal regulation for partnership institutions, including those applicable to same-sex couples, contradicts the Constitution. The Court emphasized that the state must ensure legal protections for relationships outside marriage, grounded in the principles of human dignity and respect for private and family life.

Negative attitudes against LGBT individuals remain widespread in Lithuanian society. Although tolerance has increased somewhat in urban areas and among younger generations, discrimination and social stigma persist. A GLOBSEC survey conducted in March 2023 found that 22% of Lithuanians supported same-sex marriage, while 60% were opposed and 18% were undecided. Among European Union countries, only Bulgaria showed lower levels of support. Other polls have shown that support for civil unions tends to be higher than support for same-sex marriage.

There are small LGBT communities in Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda, Šiauliai, and Panevėžys. Due to lower population density and prevailing conservative attitudes, smaller towns and rural areas typically lack active LGBT organizations or visible communities.

Legality of same-sex sexual activity Same-sex sexual activity was illegal in interwar Lithuania and during the occupation of the Soviet Union. It was legalized in Lithuania in 1993, which was two years after the end of the occupation. During the Soviet occupation, homosexuality was considered an undesirable decadence of the bourgeoisie, if acknowledged at all, and the sexual revolution taking place in Western society, considered subversive by the Soviets in its own right, was hindered in this environment by being non-public in nature and by limited access to information . With the new Criminal Code, the age of consent was equalized in 2003, at 14 years of age, in order to fulfil European Union accession criteria against discrimination. On 2 July 2010, the age of consent was raised to 16 years, regardless of gender or sexual orientation.

Recognition of same-sex relationships

There are several provisions banning the registration of same-sex unions in Lithuania. Article 38 of the Lithuanian Constitution states "Marriage shall be concluded upon the free mutual consent of a man and a woman". Same-sex marriage is also explicitly banned under Article 3.12 of the Civil Code of Lithuania, stating that "Marriage shall be concluded with a person of the opposite sex only". Moreover, the country's Civil Code allows the institution of partnerships to be approved by the legislative authorities, although Article 3.229 of the Code restricts them to heterosexual couples. On 17 April 2025, the Constitutional Court ruled that this restriction was unconstitutional and granted same-sex couples the right to register their partnership with the courts until the Seimas adopts a comprehensive law on registered partnerships.

During the census of 2011, only 24 same-sex households were declared.

As of 2019, a bill to allow same-sex couples to receive some limited partnership rights is pending in the Parliament. It was preliminarily approved 46–17 in May 2017.

In January 2019, the Constitutional Court ruled that foreign same-sex spouses must be granted residence permits. The ruling follows a similar ruling in 2018 by the European Court of Justice in Coman and Others.

In May 2021, more than 10,000 people took to the streets in Vilnius to protest against the partnership legislation.

Adoption and parenting In general, couples must be married to adopt in Lithuania, so subsequently, same-sex couples are not permitted to adopt. Article 3.210 of the Civil Code states, however, that in exceptional cases, single persons may be accepted. In that case, the decision goes to social workers. Nevertheless, the Commission of Family and Child Affairs of the Lithuanian Parliament "expressed a concern if there were enough legal barriers to prevent people of non-traditional orientation to adopt". Specialists have confirmed that barriers are in place, though it is possible to circumvent them. In consequence, the adoption by single homosexuals in practice is not legally possible.

In September 2021, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said he is against the demands to let homosexuals adopt children, which had been put forward by organizers of the Kaunas Pride march. He told reporters "I am against such demands and I think that they won't be met in Lithuania. As the president, I will do my best so that such demands could not be met at this time." on 2 September.

Discrimination protections According to the Law on Equal Treatment 2003 (), which took effect on 1 January 2005, discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is banned in the areas of employment, education, and access to goods and services.European Fundamental Rights Agency Report on Homophobia , p. 30 Article 2(2) reads as follows:

Amendments to the law repealing the protections on the grounds of sexual orientation were under consideration by the Seimas (Lithuania's Parliament) in June 2008, but they were later rejected.

In addition, public instigation of violence against LGBT people and other minorities is explicitly banned in Section 170 (3) of the Criminal Code of Lithuania. For example, a 2010 preliminary investigation by Lithuanian authorities revealed that 160 out of about 180 instances of hate speech (most of them online) concerned the LGBT community. The perpetrators are usually fined, and their computers occasionally get confiscated.

Gender identity and expression

Article 2.27 of the Civil Code allows any non-married person to change legal gender if this is medically possible. The second paragraph states, however, that the procedures for changing gender should be led according to a separate law. The Parliament and the Government of Lithuania refuse to take any actions on adopting such a law after it lost the case of L v. Lithuania in the European Court of Human Rights in 2007. Since then, gender change has become possible only with a court's decision and sex reassignment surgery.

It was proposed to eliminate this provision in 2009, and once again in 2013.

In April 2017, the European Court of Human Rights ruled, in A.P., Garçon and Nicot v. France, that it is discriminatory and a human rights violation to require transgender people to undergo surgery to alter their official documents. Subsequently, two Lithuanian trans men were allowed by Lithuanian courts to change their gender on their official documents without undergoing surgery beforehand. Lithuanian LGBT groups are now calling on future legislation to remove the requirement for surgery to be introduced.

Effective from February 2, 2022, transgender individuals within Lithuania who want to change their legal name can do so legally without sex reassignment surgery under new justice regulations. However, trans people who wish to change their name on official documents will still have to obtain a certificate from a Lithuanian or EU healthcare establishment of "diagnosed transgenderism".

Freedom of expression Despite the advanced anti-discrimination laws, during the last few years, LGBT people have faced some initiatives to limit their rights to public expression.

Public Information Act Article 39.1 of the Public Information Act (), amended on 30 September 2010 (and coming into effect on 18 October 2010), states that "Any advertisement or a commercial audiovisual message may not announce information humiliating a person's dignity, discriminating on grounds of race, sex or ethnic origin, citizenship, religion or faith, handicap or age; these messages may not depict or promote a sexual orientation, offend religious feelings or political convictions, promote a behaviour dangerous to health, safety or a behaviour, especially harmful to the environment". It has been argued that the law might also ban any depictions of heterosexual orientation.

Later, it was explained that a "translation error" had occurred. On 16 June 2011, a new amendment was adopted, removing the aforementioned phrase and moreover, adding sexual orientation to the grounds of banned discrimination in the Public Information Act.

Proposed amendments to the Code of Administrative Offences and to the Criminal Code In 2011, it was proposed to amend the Code of Administrative Offences to include the provision "A public propagation of homosexual relations is punishable with a fine from 2000 to 10000 litas." At first, the Parliament allowed a debate to take place, but it later unanimously rejected the proposal. In 2013, a similar amendment was proposed once again. Another bill introduced the same year sought to amend the Criminal Code so that "the criticism of sexual or sexual practices, convictions or beliefs, or persuasion to change this behavior, practices, convictions or beliefs cannot per se be qualified as harassment, denigration, incitement to hatred, discrimination or incitement to discrimination," possibly allowing hate speech based on sexual orientation.

Pride Parade 2010 in Vilnius In 2007, the Vilnius City Council refused to grant permission for the public meetings of LGBT advocates in May and October citing "security reasons".

In 2010, the Vilnius City Council allowed Lithuania's gay pride parade, Baltic Pride 2010, to take place on 8 May 2010. A court stopped the parade from proceeding shortly before the parade was due to take place after the Attorney General acted. The Attorney General, Raimundas Petrauskas, cited security as the reason for his involvement. President Dalia Grybauskaitė voiced her opposition to the court ruling through her spokesperson citing the constitutional right to peaceful assembly. This decision was overturned by a higher court just one day before the parade took place. With a heavy police presence, Baltic Pride 2010 took place to much violence from opponents of gay rights. Twelve violent protesters were arrested.

Subsequent pride parades

The Baltic Pride parade rotates through the Baltic states on a yearly basis and in 2013, it was again Lithuania's turn to host the event. This time, the parade attracted much more attention because Lithuania at that time was in charge of the presidency of the Council of the European Union.

In January 2013, the Lithuanian Gay League (LGL) lodged a submission to the Vilnius Municipality in order to hold a parade on 27 July 2013. Unlike in 2010, LGL would not settle for an outer spot and demanded to march on Gedimino Avenue, located in the very centre of Vilnius. The Vilnius Municipality denied this submission arguing that it would be difficult to assure the appropriate safety measures. The LGL listed a complaint to the Vilnius Administrative Court requesting it to order the Vilnius Municipality to allow the march on Gedimino Avenue. Although the Mayor of Vilnius, Artūras Zuokas, consistently repeated that the municipality would implement the lower court's verdict, the case had to run through all judicial instancies. On 23 July 2013, four days before the set date, the Chief Administrative Court ordered the municipality to fully serve LGL's submission.