Lithuania Must Not Become the Next Testing Ground for Anti-LGBTIQ+ Politics

On 24 March 2026, a group of Lithuanian Members of Parliament proposed a so-called “consultative referendum” seeking to amend Article 38 of Lithuania’s Constitution to define family exclusively as arising from the marriage of a man and a woman. While presented as an exercise in democratic participation, the proposal seeks to exclude same-sex couples and their children from equal constitutional protection.

The initiative comes despite clear rulings from Lithuania’s Constitutional Court, the Court of Justice of the European Union and the European Court of Human Rights affirming that families deserve protection regardless of the sex of the partners involved. Lithuania’s own Seimas Legal Department has warned that the proposed constitutional amendment could undermine the internal coherence of the Constitution and fail to comply with Lithuania’s obligations under European Union law.

At Forbidden Colours, we are deeply concerned not only by the content of this proposal, but also by the political dynamics surrounding it.

Particularly worrying is that support for advancing this referendum has come from across a broad political spectrum in Lithuania. The proposal received backing from parties affiliated with multiple European political families (such as Greens/EFA, S&D, EPP).

This demonstrates an important reality: anti-LGBTIQ+ narratives no longer only emerge from political extremes. Increasingly, they can become normalised within mainstream political debate and supported by actors who would otherwise disagree on almost every other issue. When the rights of minorities become political bargaining tools, this creates risks that extend far beyond one referendum or one country.

Europe has already seen where such dynamics can lead.

Hungary provided an important warning. What began as isolated constitutional and legal initiatives targeting LGBTIQ+ people and family rights gradually evolved into a wider system of institutionalised discrimination and democratic backsliding. Measures initially presented as technical or cultural debates became part of a broader effort to weaken fundamental rights and democratic safeguards.

There are also signs that Lithuania has become an increasing focus for organised anti-rights actors. Since the beginning of 2026, multiple anti-rights conferences have taken place in Lithuania, including events linked to actors such as the Polish Ordo Iuris, a group that has repeatedly supported Russia’s anti-LGBTIQ+ policies.

Action is needed now.

Forbidden Colours calls on:

• The European Commission to engage immediately with Lithuanian authorities and make clear that discriminatory constitutional changes incompatible with EU law will not be accepted.
• The European Parliament to urgently raise this issue and defend the Union’s core values and fundamental rights framework.
• European political groups to ensure that support for initiatives targeting fundamental rights carries political consequences and is incompatible with their democratic values.
• EU Member States to raise concerns with Lithuania at the highest political level.

This debate is about more than one referendum. It is about whether Europe allows the rights of minorities to become subjects of political negotiation, or whether we uphold the values of equality, dignity and democracy that form the foundation of the European Union.

There is still time to prevent Lithuania from following a path Europe has already seen before.

Read our factsheet below to understand the proposal, the legal implications and what action can still be taken.