Georgian Dream's homophobic and transphobic law “On the protection of family values and minors” assumed in September, comes into force on December 2nd.
The repressive law, introduced as part of Georgian Dream's hateful election campaign, imposes multiple restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly for queer people, bans gender reassignment surgeries and legal gender recognition procedures, reaffirms the ban on same-sex marriage, and…imposes censorship in media and education.
The law prohibits adoption and foster care by LGBT people, equates incest with homosexuality and, in addition to same-sex marriage, which is already illegal, also prohibits other alternative forms of civil partnership for non-heterosexual couples. The legislation also declares May 17 – a day of “Family holiness and respect for parents” – a holiday. The date was deliberately chosen by the Georgian Orthodox Church to clash with the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, which was celebrated on the same day.
The law “reflects the draconian measures implemented in Putin’s Russia over the last decade, laws that specifically target dissidents and the LGBTQI+ community while serving as a tool of hybrid warfare to undermine democratic institutions beyond Russia’s borders Tbilisi Pride, a Georgian queer activist group, said in a statement announcing the law's entry into force.
According to the group, the “fundamentally repressive, fascist law” is designed to “consolidate their grip on power, institutionalize oppression and dramatically alter the geopolitical trajectory of our nation.”
The law comes into effect about a month after official results of an election many see as rigged gave Georgian Dream a comfortable victory Protests rage on Georgia's streets after the party announced it would freeze the country's EU accession process.
“Popularization” and censorship
The passage followed intense conspiratorial rhetoric from Georgian Dream leaders and pro-government media about so-called “LGBT propaganda” that they claimed was infecting Western countries, as well as suggestions that the adoption of this “propaganda”. of the conditions for Georgia's accession to the EU is a member.
The law specifically targets transsexuals and, in addition to general restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly, deprives them of the right to surgical and legal gender reassignment procedures. The day after the law was passed by parliament, Kesaria Abramidze, a well-known Georgian transgender woman and model, was brutally murdered and sustained dozens of stab wounds by her ex-boyfriend.
However, the legislation and its vague provisions also leave plenty of scope for more comprehensive action, including against the media and science. It restricts the popularization of the “assignment of persons with no biological sex and/or a sex other than their biological sex” as well as the “popularization” of same-sex relationships “or incest” by broadcasters (television and radio). , in advertisements, at all levels of education, including universities, and in direct communication with minors. This also includes the censorship of intimate scenes of same-sex couples when broadcasting “creative works”. Gatherings and demonstrations with similar “popularization” purposes are also prohibited.
The law defines popularization as actions that present LGBT issues “in a positive and/or exemplary manner from the perspective of an objective observer.” These provisions have raised concerns that the law could be used to escalate crackdowns already underway against critical media, universities and academics.
By introducing an “objective observer,” the state “enters the university as a controller of the creation, storage and transmission of knowledge,” Marine Chitashvili, a professor of psychology at Tbilisi State University, wrote on Facebook on November 22. “The university as an institution for the reproduction of free opinion is losing its purpose.”
According to Chitashvili, the concept of “objective observer” is a tool for exercising control over science, including by eliminating “undesirables” who violate legally established norms.
The restrictions have been vigorously defended by the Patriarchate of the Georgian Orthodox Church, often considered one of the conservative country's most respected institutions. The law was against it from many Western countries, local civil society organizations and President Salome Zurabishvili, the refused to sign The bill was signed into law and its adoption was left to the Speaker of Parliament Shalva Papuashvili.
Experts believe that the provisions of the legislation contradict the basic principles of the Georgian Constitution and the practice of the European Court of Human Rights. The Venice Commission had previously also advised against passing homophobic and transphobic laws.
The passage follows the passage of the Foreign Agents Law, another repressive law also aimed at silencing and stigmatizing dissent. Authorities have yet to fully implement the foreign agents law, and it remains unclear when and how strictly the anti-LGBT law will be enforced, but it is already believed to be causing harm through its stigmatizing effects. In a country rife with homophobia, members of the queer community have already suffered repeated discrimination and hostility Obstacles to their right to peaceful assembly.
“This fascist legislation will erase the basic civil liberties that form the foundation of democratic society, but first and foremost it will erase us – real people who are your relatives, your friends, your fellow citizens,” Tbilisi Pride said in its statement.
Nini Gabritchidze/Civil.ge
Also read:
This post is also available in:
Russian (Russian)
Copy URL