Latvia elects first gay president

[Blue3]

More great news on the LGBTQ a progress front from a Baltic nation, this time Latvia, which has elected its first gay president (and hopefully same-sex marriage legalization is quick to come)
https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-politics-and-policy/latvian-parliament-elects-first-openly-gay-president-baltic-nation-rcna87077

HELSINKI — Latvian lawmakers on Wednesday picked the country’s long-serving popular foreign minister, a strong backer of Ukraine, as its new head of state in a tight vote.

The 100-seat Saeima legislature elected Edgars Rinkēvičs, the country’s top diplomat since 2011, as president to serve for a four-year term. He received 52 votes, one vote more than required to win. Incumbent Egils Levits, Latvia’s head of state since 2019, didn’t seek re-election.

Rinkēvičs, who announced in 2014 that he is “proudly” homosexual, will be the first openly gay president in the Baltic nations

[CumbrianLefty]

Wonder if this is partly trolling their big neighbour?

[Associate Justice PiT]

     I am doubtful that Latvia legalizes SSM soon considering that a 2016 Pew survey showed only 16% support by adults in Latvia. Incidentally it's the only country I can think of in Europe where the traditional Protestant church has remained socially conservative to this day, with its Synod voting in 2016 to restrict ordination to men only. Things can change, but all the data I have seen places it pretty far down the list of candidate countries to do so.

[Blue3]

     I am doubtful that Latvia legalizes SSM soon considering that a 2016 Pew survey showed only 16% support by adults in Latvia. Incidentally it's the only country I can think of in Europe where the traditional Protestant church has remained socially conservative to this day, with its Synod voting in 2016 to restrict ordination to men only. Things can change, but all the data I have seen places it pretty far down the list of candidate countries to do so.

Well its neighbor Estonia just legalized SSM.
And with Russia adopting anti-gay rhetoric as a form of Russian nationalism, other countries from Ukraine to Poland to Estonia have begun embracing gay rights/pride.