Georgian Nightmare, Daily Brief 13 June, 2024

Georgia’s ruling party, Georgian Dream, apparently just can’t get enough of attacking fundamental rights these days.

Fresh off its massively unpopular “foreign agents” legislation, the government is now pushing an anti-LGBT bill.

The “foreign agents” bill – now law – is an assault on fundamental rights, specifically the right to freedom of association. It targets civil society and independent media by forcing certain nongovernmental groups and media outlets to register as “organizations serving the interests of a foreign power.”

Public outrage at the bill led to some of the largest peaceful protests Georgia has seen in recent decades, and it prompted harsh criticism from Georgia’s international partners. The government pushed the abusive legislation through regardless.

Now, they’re targeting the rights of LGBT folks.

Ruling party Georgian Dream has proposed a new bill that would ban same-sex marriage, adoption by same-sex couples, and gender-affirming medical care. It would also prohibit positive references to LGBT people in media, movies, schools, and public gatherings.

Understand what this means. They are proposing pre-publication censorship to remove any positive reference or image of same-sex relationships. They want to ban public assemblies that promote LGBT equality.

This is draconian stuff.

It would legalize homophobia and discrimination. It would violate the rights of LGBT people, and it would go against Georgia’s international obligations on fundamental rights.

Like the “foreign agents” law, the new anti-LGBT bill is inspired by similar legislation in Russia.

However, Georgian Dream is moving into nightmare territory on LGBT rights even faster than the Kremlin did. Russia started out with banning LGBT “propaganda” among children. It took some years before Russia made the ban relevant for all ages. Georgian Dream is trying to do it all in one go.

Obviously, Georgian Dream should immediately reverse course and withdraw the abusive anti-LGBT bill. But given their intense determination with the earlier “foreign agents” bill, steamrollering over unprecedented public and international pressure, I’m not super hopeful.