Georgia's LGBTQ+ communities fight new restrictive law

DW (English)

A law modeled on Russia's policies is limiting minority rights and causing fear in LGBTQ+ communities in Georgia. EU officials have expressed concern about human rights.

Transcript

00:00In recent years, Georgia has seen a rise in hate crimes and violence against the LGBTQ

00:07plus community.

00:08It's a painful reality that Tamar Jackelly is confronted with regularly.

00:14The door to her organization's offices still bear the signs of vandalism.

00:19Some of the activists are here for a meeting.

00:22Tamar Jackelly is director of Tbilisi Pride, a group that advocates for the queer community.

00:27They're a minority that feels increasingly under threat.

00:33Everybody who is queer feels really panicked and a lot of people have been leaving Georgia

00:37actually in the last few months.

00:39We've seen a lot of people that I personally know go abroad to seek asylum because they

00:45feel that it's not so safe anymore.

00:49That's largely due to new legislation that went into force in Georgia just a few weeks

00:53earlier.

00:55According to its advocates, the main law, called On Family Values and Protection of

00:59Minors, will shield children and young people from supposed LGBTQ plus propaganda.

01:06The law bans same-sex marriage, adoption by non-heterosexual couples, gender reassignment

01:11surgery and public advocacy of LGBTQ plus rights.

01:15The worst of all, says Tamar Jackelly, is that the law is fueling hatred in Georgian

01:19society.

01:21And the day after the adoption of this entire LGBT bill, really the most famous trans woman

01:28got murdered.

01:29So actually, trans people have it the most difficult.

01:33Blogger, actor and model Kazaria Abramidze was the first person in Georgia to publicly

01:40come out as transgender.

01:44The day after the new law was passed, she was killed.

01:49Tamar has also experienced violence, as the organizer of Tbilisi Pride last year.

01:55She reported live on Georgian television, describing how she and fellow campaigners

01:59were attacked by a homophobic mob shortly before the event.

02:03The Pride festival was cancelled.

02:06We got basically surrounded by the far right.

02:09We got thrown stones and bottles.

02:12It was horrible.

02:13It just felt like all these months of work that we had put into organizing the festival

02:17and all this, it had just been for nothing.

02:21The activists say the rise of hatred and violence is due to Arakli Kobakidze, the incumbent

02:26prime minister, who, according to official results, was re-elected to his post.

02:31Despite accusations of electoral fraud, he says his mandate has been confirmed.

02:38The last four years have been particularly difficult.

02:43We had to overcome many challenges, and we couldn't have achieved any success without

02:48the Georgian people standing by their elected government.

02:56But on the streets of Tbilisi, people seem largely accepting of LGBTQ plus rights.

03:02I have a very loyal attitude.

03:06Everyone has the freedom to live the way they want.

03:14If we are a democratic country, there shouldn't be laws like this.

03:21It's a disgrace that the government passed this law.

03:28What good is the Pride festival anyway?

03:31They can live freely either way.

03:33I'm against violence and insults.

03:40Georgia is a conservative country, and the Orthodox Church wields a great deal of power.

03:46Analysts say that Georgian society has become somewhat more accepting in recent years.

03:50But the new law and the conservative Georgian Dream Party, which was declared the winner

03:54of the parliamentary elections on October 26, could reverse that trend.

04:01This law does not change much on the ground.

04:06There is no legal ground for neither same-sex marriages nor partnership law, nothing of

04:12this sort.

04:13On the contrary, this law can be used as grounds to go after other opposing voices as well.

04:25Georgia was granted candidate status for EU accession negotiations almost a year ago.

04:30The talks have been on hold for the past six months, after Georgia passed a controversial

04:35foreign influence law, another restrictive law like the one that claimed to be countering

04:40LGBTQ plus propaganda.

04:43The elections are unlikely to change that, but Tamar is not giving up.

04:47We will get to work, and we will have to knock on the doors of the opposition, of the new

04:52coalition government, so that at first they abolish the anti-LGBT bill, along with the

04:58other anti-democratic laws in Georgia.

05:02But the road to change will be long and rocky.

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