Baltic Pride

The Prime Minister of Latvia Aigars Kalvītis publicly opposed the event, and Pride was officially sanctioned only after a court overturned a withdrawal of the permit.

[11] In 2015 the parade took place as part of the Europride event in Riga, the first time the pan-European LGBT rights week came to an ex-Soviet state.

In a February 2007 survey of 537 LGBT persons by ILGA-Latvija, 82% of respondents said they were not in favour of holding the planned Riga Pride and Friendship Days 2007, while only 7% felt that these events would help promote tolerance towards sexual minorities.

[16] On 18 June 2016, a crowd of 3,000 Lithuanian LGBT* community members and allies participated in the Baltic Pride March on the central avenue in the centre of Vilnius.

[17] After the march, the participants gathered at the Loftas art factory for a music concert, featuring performances by Dana International, DJ Leomeo, LaDiva Live, Maria Sam Katseva, Donny Montell, Ruslanas Kirilkinas and Sasha Song.

Baltic Pride was used to challenge the discriminatory application of the "anti-gay propaganda" legislation and to encourage public debate on the recognition of same-sex unions in Lithuania.

More than 10,000 participants attended the traditional March for Equality and Peace (the latter dedication appearing in light of the war in nearby Ukraine), and the Proud Cities Concert that followed.

[20] Aside from ILGA-Europe, the event has also received consistent support from other LGBT organisations in neighbouring countries, most notably RFSL from Sweden and Amnesty International.