Lithuania is the southernmost and the largest of the Baltic States, a country that was a super power in the Middle Ages. In a union with Poland in 1573 the country stretched all the way down to the Black Sea. On the 16th of February 1918 the country declared its independence from Russia, and after having gained freedom again from the Soviet Union, it again became a nation of its own the 11th of March 1990. Like the neighbouring countries of Latvia and Poland, the politicians periodically have expressed an, with European standards, astounding homophobia. Pride marches have been prohibited and rainbow flags banned. But there is a gay scene in the capital Vilnius and progress is evident.