Russia as a role model

Georgia now wants to become queer-hostile

Here, an LGBT demo in Russia is violently broken up.

(Bild: AP)

In Georgia, the rights of queer people are to be restricted in future. This means that trans people will no longer be allowed to undergo gender reassignment surgery. "LGBT propaganda" is now also to be punished.

In Russia, the leadership around Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin propagates traditional values such as Orthodoxy, family and patriotism - and thus mobilizes political support for his authoritarian rule.

Moscow has further tightened its repressive laws against the LGBTQI+ community, particularly since the start of the war against Ukraine. In many places, homosexual and other queer people have been hunted down by the authorities in recent months.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com/olezzo - stock.adobe.com)

The ruling Georgian Dream party has now introduced a package of laws to parliament under the heading "Family values and the protection of minors". This was announced by Georgian parliamentary speaker Shalva Papuashvili in Tbilisi on Tuesday.

No third gender, marriage only between man and woman
Among other things, the civil law, labor law and education laws in the country in the South Caucasus should be changed. According to the media, Papuashvili explained that the constitution only provides for marriage between a man and a woman. Same-sex marriages should therefore be excluded by law.

LGBTQI+

The abbreviation LGBTQI+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and intersex people, other identities and genders. However, the adjective queer is also sometimes used to describe all people who are not heterosexual or who do not feel they belong to the gender they were assigned at birth.

Non-heterosexual people should not be allowed to adopt children, it continued. Only the biological sex of male or female should be entered on identity documents. Doctors should also not be allowed to perform gender reassignment surgery on trans people.

LGBT information banned at schools
As in Russia, alleged "LGBT propaganda" is also to be banned in Georgia. There should be no rallies about homosexual relationships or transgender issues, said Papuashvili. This type of information would be banned in schools. Such representations should also not be permitted in the media and advertising.

Small Georgia has a long Christian Orthodox tradition; society in the ex-Soviet republic is rather conservative. As a result, there are queer movement events such as Christopher Street Day (CSD) in Tbilisi. However, they are accompanied by massive counter-demonstrations, which have already turned violent.