TBILISI, Georgia — The speaker of the Georgian parliament signed into a law Thursday a bill that severely curtails LGBTQ+ rights in the country and mirrors legislation adopted in neighboring Russia.
Shalva Papuashvili, the parliament speaker, said on social media that the legislation does “not reflect current, temporary, changing ideas and ideologies, but is based on common sense, historical experience and centuries-old Christian, Georgian and European values.”
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili had refused to sign the bill and returned it to parliament on Wednesday. It was introduced by the governing Georgian Dream party and approved by lawmakers last month.
The bill includes bans on same-sex marriages, adoptions by same-sex couples and public endorsement and depictions of LGBTQ+ relations and people in the media. It also bans gender-affirming care and changing gender designations in official documents.
“This law protects the rights of all citizens, including freedom of expression, so that the rights of others are not violated, which is the essence and idea of true democracy,” Papuashvili wrote.
Parliament gave the legislation its final approval as Georgia, a largely conservative country where the Orthodox Church wields significant influence, prepares to vote in a parliamentary election. The law has been widely seen as an effort by the governing party to shore up support among conservative groups. It was decried by human rights advocates and LGBTQ+ activists, who said it further marginalized an already vulnerable community.
The law has drawn comparisons with Russia, where the Kremlin has been highlighting what it calls traditional family values. Russian authorities in the last decade have banned public endorsement of “nontraditional sexual relations” and introduced laws against gender-affirming care, among other measures. Its Supreme Court effectively outlawed LGBTQ+ activism by labeling what the authorities called the LGBTQ+ “movement” operating in Russia as an extremist organization and banning it.
In Georgia, the LGBTQ+ community has struggled even before the legislation was introduced. Demonstrations and violent outbursts against LGBTQ+ people have been common, and last year hundreds of opponents of gay rights stormed an LGBTQ+ festival in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, forcing the event’s cancellation. This year, tens of thousands marched in Tbilisi to promote “traditional family values.”
A day after parliament gave its final approval to the anti-LGBTQ+ bill, transgender actor and model Kesaria Avramidze was stabbed to death in her apartment in Tbilisi. Rights advocates had worried that the bill would stoke more violence.
Papuashvili, the parliament speaker, said that by not signing the bill, President Zourabichvili and the Georgian opposition “did not have enough courage to openly express their opinion regarding this law.”
Some analysts say parts of the Georgian opposition are walking a fine line ahead of the Oct. 26 election between condemning the move to curtail LGBTQ+ rights and not wanting to alienate some voters.
Zourabichvili has long been at odds with the governing party and vetoed a “foreign influence” law adopted by parliament earlier this year. She was overridden by parliament, where Georgian Dream dominates.
The measure requires media and nongovernmental organizations to register as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power” if they receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad. It ignited weeks of protests and was widely criticized as threatening democratic freedoms. Those opposing the law compared it to similar legislation in Russia which is routinely used to suppress dissent, and accused the governing party of acting in concert with Moscow, jeopardizing Georgia’s chances of joining the European Union.
The South Caucasus nation of 3.7 million formally applied to join the EU in 2022, after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but the bloc halted its accession in response to the “foreign influence” law and froze some of its financial support. The United States imposed sanctions on dozens of Georgian officials in response to the law.
Georgian Dream was set up by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a shadowy billionaire who made his fortune in Russia and served briefly as Georgia’s prime minister in 2012. It promised to restore civil rights and “reset” relations with Moscow, which fought a brief war with Georgia in 2008 over the breakaway province of South Ossetia. Russia then recognized the independence of South Ossetia and another breakaway Georgian province, Abkhazia, and established military bases there.
Many Georgians backed Ukraine as Kyiv battled Russia’s invasion in 2022. But the Georgian government abstained from joining sanctions against Moscow, barred dozens of Kremlin critics from entering the country, and accused the West of trying to drag Georgia into open conflict with Russia. The opposition has accused the governing party of steering the country into Russia’s orbit to the detriment of its European aspirations.
The Georgian parliament speaker, Kakha Kuchava, recently signed a controversial anti-LGBTQ law after the country’s president, Salome Zourabichvili, refused to approve it. The law, officially known as the “Law on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination,” has sparked outrage and condemnation from human rights organizations and LGBTQ activists both within Georgia and internationally.
The law, which was initially passed by the Georgian parliament in July, prohibits the dissemination of information promoting “non-traditional sexual relations” to minors. It also bans LGBTQ content in schools and other educational institutions. Supporters of the law argue that it is necessary to protect children from harmful influences and uphold traditional Georgian values.
However, critics of the law argue that it is discriminatory and violates the rights of LGBTQ individuals. They argue that it perpetuates harmful stereotypes and stigmatizes LGBTQ people, making them more vulnerable to discrimination and violence. Human rights organizations have called on the Georgian government to repeal the law and respect the rights of all citizens, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
President Zourabichvili’s refusal to sign the law was seen as a rare act of defiance against the ruling party, which has a conservative stance on social issues. In a statement, she expressed concerns about the law’s potential impact on freedom of expression and the rights of LGBTQ individuals. However, her decision was ultimately overruled by parliament speaker Kuchava, who signed the law into effect.
The signing of the anti-LGBTQ law has sparked protests and demonstrations in Georgia, with LGBTQ activists and their allies calling for its repeal. International human rights organizations have also condemned the law, urging the Georgian government to uphold its commitments to human rights and equality.
The controversy surrounding the anti-LGBTQ law highlights the ongoing challenges faced by LGBTQ individuals in Georgia and other countries where discrimination and violence against them are still prevalent. It also underscores the importance of protecting the rights of all individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
As the debate over the anti-LGBTQ law continues, it is crucial for all stakeholders to engage in constructive dialogue and work towards promoting tolerance, acceptance, and equality for all members of society. Only by respecting the rights and dignity of every individual can we build a more inclusive and just society for all.
