By TBILISI, Georgia – Georgia’s parliament approved a contentious law on “family values and the protection of minors” on Tuesday, imposing sweeping restrictions on LGBT rights in the Caucasus nation. The bill, which passed its third and final reading, has drawn criticism from human rights activists and Western governments.
The new legislation provides a legal framework for authorities to prohibit Pride events and public displays of the LGBT rainbow flag. It also introduces censorship measures for films and books deemed to promote LGBT content. Additionally, the law reaffirms an existing ban on same-sex marriage and prohibits gender reassignment surgery.
Leaders of the governing Georgian Dream party argue that the law is necessary to preserve traditional moral standards in Georgia, where the conservative Orthodox Church wields significant influence. However, critics view the measure as a political maneuver to bolster conservative support ahead of the October 26 parliamentary elections.
Tamara Jakeli, director of the campaign group Tbilisi Pride, expressed grave concerns about the law’s impact. “This law is the most terrible thing to happen to the LGBT community in Georgia,” Jakeli, 28, told Reuters. “We will most likely have to shut down. There is no way for us to continue functioning.”
The legislation has raised alarms among Western governments, who fear it signals Georgia’s shift away from its European Union aspirations and towards Russia. Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, a critic of Georgian Dream with largely ceremonial powers, has indicated she will attempt to block the bill. However, the ruling party and its allies hold enough seats in parliament to override a presidential veto.
LGBT rights remain a divisive issue in Georgia, where polls show widespread disapproval of same-sex relationships. In recent years, participants in Tbilisi’s annual Pride marches have faced violent attacks from anti-LGBT protesters.
The debate over LGBT rights has intensified in the lead-up to October’s election, with Georgian Dream campaigning heavily against LGBT rights. The party, led by billionaire ex-prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, has strengthened ties with neighboring Russia while relations with Western countries have deteriorated.
Earlier this year, the ruling party passed a controversial “foreign agents” law, which European and U.S. critics denounced as authoritarian and reminiscent of Russian legislation. The law’s passage sparked some of the largest protests in Georgia since its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
Despite these controversies, opinion polls indicate that Georgian Dream remains the country’s most popular party, though its support has declined since its narrow parliamentary victory in 2020. The party’s campaign has taken a decidedly conservative turn, with one television advertisement featuring Pride director Jakeli’s face alongside the words: “No to moral degradation.”
Jakeli believes the only hope for stopping the bill lies in Georgian Dream losing power in October. However, she noted that the country’s opposition parties have not been overtly supportive of LGBT rights either. “The only way we can survive in this country and have any progress on LGBT rights is for us to go in great numbers to the elections and vote for change,” she said.
As Georgia grapples with this contentious legislation, the international community watches closely, concerned about the potential implications for human rights and the country’s geopolitical orientation.
