The news
Georgian lawmakers, led by the ruling Georgian Dream party, passed a controversial law on “family values and protection of minors” on Tuesday, with rights groups and the European Union criticizing the bill for imposing strict restrictions on LGBTQ+ people.
The legislation gives authorities the power to ban Pride events, censor public displays of the rainbow flag and censor the media. The new law also prevents people from changing their gender on official documents.
This law is the most horrible “What is happening to the LGBT community in Georgia? We will most likely have to close. There is no way for us to continue to function,” the director of campaign group Tbilisi Pride told Reuters.
SIGNALS
Georgia borrows from Russian playbook
Georgia’s ruling political party, the Georgian Dream, appeared to borrow from the Kremlin’s playbook on LGBTQ+ rights: Russia made it illegal to ‘praise’ LGBTQ+ relationships in 2022, and has since prohibited gender reassignmentThe deterioration in human rights could jeopardize Georgia’s long-cherished goal of EU membership, but the government seems to sabotage that fears that accountability to the EU could weaken the party’s grip on the country, Politico reported. It could also backfire: about 86% of Georgians support EU accessionthe Centre for European Policy Analysis noted.
Georgia’s opposition may steer clear of campaigning on pro-EU platforms
Georgia’s October parliamentary elections could produce a referendum on whether the country “remains in line with Western democratic ideals or closer to the Russian sphere of influence,” argued the conservative think tank The Jamestown Foundation in Washington, D.C. Opposition leaders should avoid that framing, argued a columnist in openDemocracy. Instead of campaigning on an explicitly pro-EU platformthey should instead portray the government as “tired, idealess and unable to provide a positive future for Georgia,” he wrote.
