Conference

Estonian society is less tolerant towards lesbian, gays, bisexuals and transgender (LGBT) persons than many others. Estonia does not allow same-sex couples to marry or register civil partnerships. The excuse has been that Estonia is not ready for it. When will Estonia be ready for this? When will the discussion whether LGBT persons deserve the same human rights and societal protection as others? When will the public discourse come to the extent that sexual minorities are a normal part of the society? What should be the role of the media in creating this discourse?

The conference "Diversity Enriches" will take place on June 8 in Tallinn, Swissotel and it will approach the topic of sexual minorities from different perspecitves. In addition to the discussion of what kind of partnership form Estonia’s ready for, the conference will also discuss the issues of bullying in school, the responsibility of the media in forming the public opinion. There’s also a question whether and why the heterosexual majority should speak out openly on LGBT issues.

The conference is a part of the programme of Baltic Pride in Tallinn.

Please find the preliminary program here.

The conference is financed by the European Union, Ministry of Social Affairs and Tallinn University of Technology. It is supported by the British Embassy in Estonia. 

Watch the recording of the conference (no translation, partly in Estonian):