Tag: georgia gay rights

Gay refugee warns Georgia ‘cannot be considered safe’ as UK government tries to add to safe list

The UK government’s own guidance warns of anti-LGBTQ attitudes in Georgia A refugee has given a stark warning: “Georgia cannot be considered a safe country.” It comes as the UK government tries to add the Eastern European country, as well as India, to the list of those considered safe to return people seeking asylum to.… Read more »

Georgia: Right-wing, anti-LGBTQ+ mob storms Tbilisi Pride, setting fire to rainbow flags

Thousands of right-wing protestors stormed a LGBTQ+ Pride event in Georgia’s capital of Tbilisi, setting fire to rainbow flags and clashing with police. Organisers of Tbilisi Pride announced on Saturday (8 July) that they had been forced to shut down the event as participants were evacuated to safety after the authorities failed to maintain the… Read more »

Taliban promises to brutally execute gays if it regains power in Afghanistan

Gay people, a Taliban judge promised, will be prosecuted and executed by stoning or pushing a wall on top of them. A Taliban judge is promising that Sharia law will be reinstated in Afghanistan after coalition forces have left the country and the brutal Islamic force regains power. Gay people, he promised, will be prosecuted… Read more »

News cameraman dies after being beaten by a bloodthirsty mob protesting a pride parade

Authorities say the riot and death were “very unfortunate” but “violence happens everywhere.” A Georgian news cameraman has died after being beaten by a mob of anti-LGBTQ protestors who were angry over a planned Pride march in the former Soviet country. The parade was called off after protestors ransacked the Tblisi Pride office and beat… Read more »

Tbilisi Pride Organisers Receive Messages Of Support After Attack On Pride March

A Pride march has been cancelled in the capital city of Tbilisi in Georgia after the Tbilisi Pride headquarters was stormed in a violent demonstration by far-right groups on Monday, July 5, reports The Guardian. Among the victims of the demonstration were journalists who were reportedly beaten by protestors. The number of injured parties is… Read more »

LGBT rights: The film about gay love shaking up Georgia

“When I told my mother I was gay, she said I wish you were dead or had never existed at all. It’s better not to have a son than to have someone like you.” Lasha, in his early twenties, has his arm around his partner Beka’s waist. They are sitting together in a secluded park… Read more »

Georgian far-right groups attempt to storm cinema at gay romance movie premiere

Hundreds of far-right protesters clashed with filmgoers and police at the Georgian premiere of And Then We Danced, an Oscar-nominated film that celebrates gay love. Set and filmed in Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi, And Then We Danced is the country’s first LGBT+ film, starring a gay dancer who is coming to terms with his sexuality. The… Read more »

‘And Then We Danced’ director responds to threat of protests in Georgia

Swedish director Levan Akin has responded to threats of protest by right-wing groups at the Georgian premiere of his film And Then We Danced on Friday, November 8. And Then We Danced is the story of a young man in the National Georgian Ensemble who is attracted to a rival male dancer. It has drawn… Read more »

Gay in Georgia: „If you are Georgian, you need to be a straight man“

The current Spartacus Gay Travel Index ranks Georgia number 95 in its ranking, with an overall rating of -2. In categories such as same-sex marriage, persecution, antidiscrimination laws or transgender rights, the country only scores in a single case with a positive rating. All others are either 0 or negative. Although homosexuality has been legal… Read more »

Tbilisi hosted its very first impromptu Pride march

Capital of Georgia never hosted a Pride parade before Despite several delays, Tbilisi hosted its very first impromptu Pride march yesterday (8 July) in the capital of Georgia. The official parade, scheduled for the day, was called off for the second time in less than a month. Nonetheless, local LGBTI activists didn’t lose hope. Not… Read more »

Tbilisi Pride offices evacuated after death threats and counter-protests

Organizers in Georgia are battling preachers, police and protesters for their right to hold a Pride parade Ahead of the city’s very first Pride parade, hate groups attacked the Tbilisi Pride offices resulting in a police evacuation yesterday (19 June). The capital of Georgia, eastern Europe, has, much like its cobblestone streets, a long and… Read more »

Stonewall 50: Police refuse to protect Pride after violence in Georgia

‘We have a lot of anger,’ says Eastern European campaigner Giorgi Tabagari It can be easy to forget amongst the pageantry and pomp that the Pride movement started as a protest, but that’s exactly what it means for the LGBTI community in Georgia, eastern Europe. The first brick thrown at Stonewall sparked a global fight… Read more »

LGBT Supporters Rally In Tbilisi, Despite Fears Of Violence

Tbilisi – Several dozen people have marched in the Georgian capital to mark International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia (IDAHOTB), despite fears of potential clashes with opponents. Police in Tbilisi were on high alert on May 17 even after an event commemorating IDAHOTB was canceled to avoid a confrontation with marchers expected to take… Read more »

Paata Sabelashvili on Drugs & the LGBT Community

Exclusive Interview Politicians, journalists, and civil society observers covering the theme of drug use, in conjunction with the LGBT community in Georgia, are very familiar with the ‘White Noise Movement,’ which stems from anti-drug legislations which put drug users for small offenses behind bars for years. For consuming only a small amount of marijuana, Paata… Read more »

Georgian President blocks referendum on constitutional gay marriage ban

The Georgian President has shot down a proposed referendum on a new constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. A petition calling for the referendum in the country had gathered 200,000 signatures. However, in a press conference this week, Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili flatly rejected the proposal to hold a referendum that would constitutionally define marriage as… Read more »

Neo-Nazi thugs pelt pro-gay vegan café with sausages

Far-right thugs have attacked a vegan café with sausages in Georgia – because they serve gay people. The attack took place in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, in Eastern Europe. The vegan Kiwi Café, which is popular with the local LGBT community, found itself set upon by Neo-Nazis, who had allegedly asked passers by about… Read more »

LGBT Activists In Georgia Face Court Date

A court in Tbilisi has set a trial date of May 20 for 10 gay rights activists who have been charged with vandalism and resisting arrest. The activists were detained on May 16 after they allegedly tried to paint the walls of administrative buildings in Tbilisi with the colors of a rainbow — a symbol… Read more »

CoE Report Calls Out Georgia for Discrimination against Religious Minorities and LGBT

Discrimination against religious minorities and the LGBT community is on the rise, as is a law enforcement deficient in Georgia, says the Council of Europe’s Anti-racism Commission. On 1st of March, 2016, The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) published its fourth report on Georgia, analysing recent developments and outstanding issues, and providing recommendations… Read more »

Georgia ranked 23rdin Europe for LGBT rights legislation

Tbilisi, DFWatch–Rainbow Europe’s LGBTI rights ranking praises positive developments in Georgia despite major setbacks. Georgia was placed in the middle of a ranking of European countries which assessed each country’s legislation regarding rights of LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex) people. According to Rainbow Europe’s ranking, Georgia came 23rd from among 49 European countries,… Read more »

Hate Crime Acquittal Highlights Institutionalized Homophobia in Georgia

On October 23, 2015, a Tbilisi court acquitted four individuals for their involvement in a violent anti-LGBT rally that took place in Georgia in 2013. The group on trial was accused of inciting violence at a peaceful demonstration held on the International Day Against Homophobia on May 17, 2013. The pro-LGBT rally, which consisted of… Read more »

Eastern partners

As Georgia chooses between Europe and Russia, attitudes to homosexuality are caught in the crossfire It was as discreet a gay-pride rally as could be imagined: a few dozen activists (pictured) in a park in Tbilisi, marking the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT) on May 17th. The organisers did not announce the location… Read more »

Georgia Is A Terrible Place To Be Gay

Georgians tend to support EU integration but remain suspicious of so-called “European” values like LGBT rights. In Tbilisi, cops still enter gay-friendly clubs and demand to see IDs. With the powerful Orthodox Church reasserting traditional values, will Georgia stray from its supposedly devoutly pro-Western path? Few who are familiar with the recent history of Georgia,… Read more »

Prime Minister of Georgia calls for constitutional same-sex marriage ban

The Prime Minister of Georgia recently introduced an amendment calling for same-sex marriage to be banned in the country’s constitution. Irakli Garibashvili in late March introduced the amendment which would specifically define marriage as between one man and one woman. It was introduced apparently to avoid “misinterpretation” of an anti-discrimination bill which was also introduced… Read more »

Georgia: IDAHOT rally attacked by thousands of violent protesters

A rally in the Georgian city of Tbilisi to commemorate the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT), has been taken over by a violent mob of thousands who chased down demonstrators, forcing police to evacuate gay rights supporters The IDAHOT rally was attacked by thousands of, mainly young, male, Georgians. The group attacking the… Read more »

Situation of LGBT persons in Georgia

Read the entire article here Source – Women.ge