Pride Around the World
Legal and Social Background Georgia, a country of about four million people in the Caucasus region, has sought to build a nation based on democratic principles since its independence in 1991. Those principles, however, have not always extended to respect for the rights of LGBTQ people. Attempts at public demonstrations in support of LGBTQ human rights have often been thwarted by violence and disruption. The strong anti-LGBTQ climate in Georgia can be attributed, in part, to the powerful influence of the conservative Georgian Orthodox Church; a clear lack of political will by the Georgian government to protect the rights of LGBTQ citizens, with authorities at times using LGBTQ people as a scapegoat to sow social divisions; and a proliferation of ultra-right groups that have violently disrupted attempts at public LGBTQ rights demonstrations and remain a persistent threat.70 Concerns about the safety and the potential political manipulation of public demonstrations, combined with current social and economic conditions that impede equal access to employment, housing, and education for LGBTQ citizens, have led to divisions within the queer movement regarding the most effective strategies for achieving true, long-term progress. Same-sex relations were criminalized under the Soviet Union, and the law was not annulled in Georgia until 2000. In 2014, LGBTQ people in Georgia were buoyed by the passage of a comprehensive anti-discrimination law that included the prohibition of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.71 This law was part of the country’s effort to meet European Union requirements for visa-free travel. It also marked an important milestone in pushing back against the Georgian Orthodox Church’s powerful influence.72 70 Alekzandre Kvakhadze, “Far-Right Groups in Georgia,” Rondeli Foundation: Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies, 2018, https://gfsis.org.ge/publications/ view/2666 (Accessed 27 April 2022.) Also based on interviews with David Kakhaberi, Mariam Kvaratskhelia, and Beka Gabadadze, 28 April and 29 and 2 May 2022, respectively. 71 For an unofficial translation of the law, see: Law of Georgia on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination, May 2014, https://www.refworld.org/pdfid/5374993b4.pdf (accessed 10 June 2022). For summary and analysis of the law, see: OHCHR, Information prepared by the Government of Georgia in accordance with the Human Rights Council Resolution (31/15) on the Right to Work, 2015, https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/Documents/ Issues/ESCR/RighttoWork/Georgia.pdf (accessed 10 June 2022). 72 Katya Kumkova, “In Georgia, a Brave Step Toward LGBT Rights,” Open Society Foundations: Voices, 11 August 2014, https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/voices/
GEORGIA
Georgia: “They Were Trying to Destroy Us”
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