Gender Issues, Education, and Legislation – Three Disinformation about Latvia

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From July 2-4, a video featuring an unknown woman speaking in Russian was disseminated in the Facebook group AntiLab-Georgia and through Russian-speaking Facebook accounts (1,2). The video contained several claims: 1. Parents in a Latvian school were notified that children would be removed from families where they are referred to as boys or girls because children must decide for themselves who they want to be. 2. Teachers will undergo a sexual education course, after which they will teach children how to be homosexuals, pedophiles, and how not to have children. 3. Same-sex marriage has been legalized in Latvia, and children removed from families will be adopted by such couples.

latvia1 Gender Issues, Education, and Legislation - Three Disinformation about Latvia latvia2 Gender Issues, Education, and Legislation - Three Disinformation about Latvia

The video contains several pieces of disinformation about Latvia:

  1. There is no information in open sources, including Latvian legislative acts, about removing children from families because they are referred to as boys or girls.
  2. The sexual education course is not related to the teaching of pedophilia. Pedophilia is punishable by law in Latvia.
  3. Same-sex marriage and adoption by same-sex couples have not been legalized in Latvia.
  • Gender Issues – Disinformation About Removing Children from Families in Latvia

The person in the video is Latvian politician Olga Černavska, who initially published the video on her TikTok account on June 30. Černavska’s first claim was that a Latvian school informed parents that children would be taken away from families where they are referred to as boys or girls.

Latvian legislation does not provide for such a practice. According to the Law on the Protection of Children’s Rights, a child can be removed from a family if their life, health, or development is seriously endangered, if the child uses alcohol or drugs, or has committed a crime.

The post published in the AntiLab-Georgia group mentions Lithuania instead of Latvia. Lithuanian legislation also does not provide for removing children from families for such reasons (1,2).

  • Education in Latvia – Disinformation About the Sexual Education Course

Černavska also speaks about a sexual education course that teachers must undergo. She claims that the ultimate goal of the course is to teach students how to be homosexuals, pedophiles, and not to have children.

The Latvian Ministry of Education, in cooperation with the University of Latvia, has indeed developed a course on sexual education. The course aims to provide teachers with basic information about family relationships, gender roles, equality, violence, safe internet use, reproductive health, and many other topics. The topics that teachers should discuss with students depend on the age of the children. The course should be ready by August 1, 2024, and teachers are required to complete it by September 2025.

The course does not aim to teach children how to become homosexuals, pedophiles, or how to refuse to have children. Pedophilia is a criminal offense in Latvian law and is punishable by imprisonment. The law was last amended in 2015 to further tighten penalties.

  • Is Same-Sex Marriage Legal in Latvia?

Černavska also claims that Latvia has legalized same-sex marriage. In reality, Latvia has legalized civil partnerships for same-sex couples, not marriage. The law grants couples the right to visit each other in hospitals and provides certain social and tax benefits, but it does not include the right to adopt children.

This video was also fact-checked by the investigative journalism center Re:Baltica, which found several false claims in it.

  • What Do We Know About Olga Černavska?

Olga Černavska participated in the June 2024 European Parliament elections representing the “Alliance of Young Latvians” (Apvienība Jaunlatvieši) party. Černavska was listed eighth on the party’s electoral list, and her profession was indicated as a housewife.

latvia3 Gender Issues, Education, and Legislation - Three Disinformation about Latvia

The party received 2.13% of the votes in the election and did not secure any seats in the European Parliament. 

In May 2023, the Latvian Security Service also investigated Černavska’s statements. According to her videos, she is currently in Belarus.

About the Sources:

Russian-speaking Facebook accounts Марфа Марфа and Сергей Токарев regularly spread anti-Western and anti-Ukrainian content, including disinformation.

tsqharo1 Gender Issues, Education, and Legislation - Three Disinformation about Latvia tsqharo2 Gender Issues, Education, and Legislation - Three Disinformation about Latvia


The article has been written in the framework of Facebook’s fact-checking program. You can read more about the restrictions that Facebook may impose based on this article via this link. You can find information about appealing or editing our assessment via this link.

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Violation: Disinformation
Country: Latvia
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