by Rex Wockner
The mayor of Vilnius, Lithuania, Vilius Navickas, said March 19 that gays can have a pride parade, but only far from downtown.
"I respect everyone under the sun, and their personal lives, but I don't think that this personal life needs to be put on display on Gediminas Avenue," Navickas said, according to the Baltic Times. "Should there be a request to do this on Gediminas Avenue, we wouldn't allow it, but it would be welcomed on, say, Savanoriu Avenue."
Savanoriu Avenue is in a less-desirable part of town, distant from the city center, and has heavy traffic.
Vilnius' previous mayor, Juozas Imbrasas, banned pride events on public property altogether, prohibited pride ads from appearing on public transportation vehicles and blocked the European Union's touring anti-discrimination truck from parking on public property, forcing it into a supermarket parking lot.
