29th April 2016
On 28th April Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson Agneta Lobačevskytė held an informal meeting with the Ambassador of Austria dr. Johann Spitzer, during which the general equal rights situation in Lithuanian was discussed.
Dr. Johann Spitzer expressed his concerns regarding homophobic acts and attitudes in Lithuanian society. Since 2003 unmarried same-sex couples in Austria have been guaranteed the same rights as heterosexual couples. In 2010, same-sex partnership was granted formal status, while in 2013 Austria became the 13th EU Member State that legally recognised adopting children by unmarried same-sex couples. Same-sex marriages in Austria have not, however, so far been legally recognised.
In recent years Mr. Johann Spitzer has been an honourable guest at the National Equality and Diversity Awards that are organised by the Office of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson and the National Equality and Diversity Forum. In 2015, Mr. Spitzer presented the Rainbow Appreciation Award to the news television “Info TV” for their socially responsible decision to broadcast banned TV advert “Keisk” (“Change”) that was part of the social campaign for LGBT rights.