Following the passage of a Russian law against foreign influence, Georgia’s leadership also wants to restrict the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in a similar way to Russia.
The ruling Georgian Dream party has submitted a package of laws to parliament under the heading “Family values and the protection of minors,” said parliament speaker Shalva Papushvili announced on Tuesday in Tbilisi.
Civil, labor and educational laws in the South Caucasus country will be changed.
According to media reports, Papushvili explained that the constitution only provides for marriage between a man and a woman. Marriages between people of the same sex should therefore be excluded by law.
Non-heterosexual people should not adopt children, he added.
Only the biological sex of male or female should be stated on identity documents, he said, and doctors should also not be allowed to perform sex reassignment surgery.
As in Russia, alleged ‘LGBT propaganda’ will also be banned in Georgia. Papuashvili said there should be no meetings about homosexual relationships or transgender issues. This type of information would be banned in schools. Such images should also not be allowed in the media and advertisements.
Little Georgia has a long Orthodox Christian tradition, and its society is quite conservative in character.
For example, there are events like Pride in Tbilisi, but these are often accompanied by massive counter-demonstrations, which have turned violent in the past.
Opponents of the current Georgian government fear that Georgia, like Russia, will also further tighten its repressive laws against the LGBT+ community.
