The Byelorussian "Green" Party (BPZ) has confirmed its decision to create a LGBT commission within the party and has become the first ever political party in Byelorussia that officially supports that country's gay and lesbian movement.

Internet site www.gay.by reports that in the next two months will be carried out the official activities aimed at setting up of the above mentioned commission and giving to it the official status.

During the talks between the "Green" party's representative and Mr. Sergey Androsenko (a member of the Byelorussian LGBT movement) the both sides have agreed to liven up the mutual cooperation in the next two or three months and have officially announced the establishment of the Commission on LGBT rights. On the request of some members of an organisation named "Byelorussian Initiative for equal sexual and gender rights" the LGBT Commission will be established independently from the above mentioned Byelorussian Initiative Organisation and will act on its own.

As it was mentioned above, the Byelorussian Green Party has become the first ever political party in Byelorussia that expressed its support for the Byelorussian LGBT movement. It is worth reminding that the Byelorussian LGBT movement has recently stirred up its activities in that country. However, the things are not so good, many organisations and political parties as well as the major part of the Byelorussian society still are not yet ready to accept homosexuals.

Mr. Vladimir Volodin, a member of the Byelorussian Green Party expressed his opinion in an interview for internet site www.gay.by : "It can hardly be true that other Byelorussian political parties and movements would draw themselves closer to Byelorussian LGBT organisations. The political culture of other parties is much different from ours. We do not exclude a possibility of having some homophobes as members of our party, but if they will openly show their protest to homosexuals they would be immediately expelled from our members. There are many homophobes in other parties and some politicians sometimes consider necessary to declare something homophobic in their speeches".

It should be noted that Byelorussian officials do not comment in any way the developing changes in Byelorussia's LGBT movement.

Translation by Yerdna Bananes