Lithuanian President accused of homophobia during speech in Chicago

A video shared on social media shows a young woman standing in front of the congregation and raising a poster reading, in Lithuanian, “Nauseda is a homophobe” during his speech to Chicago’s Nativity Blessed Virgin Mary Parish. The poster was taken away from the woman and she was later led out of the church. The president briefly reacted to the incident in the church by saying, “Let’s thank the person who expressed their opinion”, Ridas Jasiulionis, his spokesman, told BNS. He then went on with the speech. Nauseda has said earlier that he would be against allowing same-sex couples to adopt children. He has also said that he would have vetoed Lithuania’s gender-neutral civil partnership law if it had passed the parliament, because the bill, in the form it was introduced to the Seimas, provided almost identical definitions of marriage and partnership. However, the president says that he and his office has been and will continue to be involved in the debate on legal recognition of partnership.