The parliament of the eastern European country of Georgia has passed a sweeping bill aimed at restricting the rights of LGBTQ people in the country, a law that is virtually identical to a similar law passed in neighboring Russia.
The bill seeks to ban same-sex couples from marrying or adopting, prohibit public support or advocacy for LGBTQ rights, and ban any information about LGBTQ individuals or same-sex relationships from being portrayed positively or neutrally in the media.
The provisions mean the bill could ban pride events, punish the display of the pride flag and allow the government to censor films and books that feature LGBTQ characters.
“Tbilisi Pride is a city that has been loved by millions of people for over 100 years,” said Tamar Jakeli, director of Tbilisi Pride. Reuters The bill would likely force her organization to close.
The bill also bans anyone, including adults, from receiving gender-affirming medical care and prohibits people from changing their gender on official documents to match their gender identity rather than the sex they were assigned at birth.
Parliamentary leaders of the ruling Georgian Dream party say the law is needed to uphold traditional morality, foster and support family ties, and protect minors from undue repercussions for visibly expressing their LGBTQ identity.
As in Russia, restrictions on LGBTQ rights and visibility are strongly supported by the Orthodox Church, which holds a large influence in Georgian society.
The anti-LGBTQ bill now goes to President Salome Zourabichvili to be signed into law.
Georgian Dream supported her in the last election, but she has clashed with ruling party leaders and criticized measures such as the “foreign influence” law for slowing Georgia’s bid to join the European Union. Zourabishvili could veto anti-LGBTQ legislation, but there’s also a chance that her veto could be overturned. It’s unclear what action she will take.
Georgia’s constitution, which states that “marriage is based on legal equality and the free will of the spouses,” does not explicitly ban same-sex marriage, but the country’s civil code defines marriage as between a man and a woman.
The anti-LGBTQ bill does not have the power to change the constitution, but its ban on same-sex marriage is clearer and has become a “message” document for the Georgian Dream party to appeal to social conservatives ahead of Georgia’s Oct. 26 election. Parliamentary elections.
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
