USA Okay, Lithuania Nay

After coming out of the Bush era, Obama has begun paving the way for an American society that is finally beginning to acknowledge same-sex couples:

"The presidential memorandum signed by Mr. Obama allows same-sex partners of U. S. civil-service employees to be added to the government's long-term-care insurance program. Gay and lesbian civil servants can also use their sick leave to care for an ill domestic partner or non-biological, non-adopted children. Same-sex partners of U. S. foreign-service employees will be able to use government medical facilities and be eligible for medical evacuations from overseas posts. Extending equal benefits to the same-sex partners of federal employees is "the right thing to do," Mr. Obama said at a late-afternoon signing ceremony. "As Americans, we are all affected when our promises of equality go unfulfilled." http://www.nationalpost.com/news/world/story.html?id=1708559

On the other side of the planet in the European Baltic country of Lithuania, gay persons will have to keep fighting just for the right to be treated with dignity.

"The Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, approved a bill Tuesday that bans gay speech in schools..The bill prohibits schools from discussing being gay and bans any reference to homosexuality where it might be viewed by children. The amendment denies the right to freedom of expression and deprives students access to the support and protection they may need...The bill bans information that “agitates for homosexual, bisexual relations or polygamy,” calling such information detrimental to youth. Critics said the bill's broad language effectively bans any discussion of homosexuality except in a negative context, effectively legislating homophobia. Lithuania has signed up to these international humanitarian declarations but it is now defying them. It wants the rights of EU and UN membership, but not the responsibilities. Lithuania has no right to belong to European institutions if it violates their human rights principles."http://ontopmag.com/article.aspx?id=4026&MediaType=1&Category=24

You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have...the ludicrous nature of the world in which we live.