Georgia's Parliament backs homophobic "Family Values" bill in second reading

Georgia’s “Family Values” bill

Georgia’s Parliament backed the homophobic and propagandist “On the Protection of Family Values and Minors” bill in its second reading. The opposition did not attend the discussion or participate in the vote.

The bill was supported by 81 MPs.

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Ahead of the parliamentary elections scheduled for October 2024, the Georgian government is attempting to distract the public from real issues in various ways.

The EU has condemned the rushed second reading of the legislative package on “Family Values and Protection of Minors,” according to a statement by Peter Stano, spokesperson for the EU’s High Representative.

The statement emphasized that the package undermines the fundamental rights of Georgian citizens and poses a threat of increased stigmatization and discrimination against part of the population.

“The European Union is concerned that this important legislation, with significant implications for Georgia’s EU integration, was adopted without proper public consultation or thorough analysis of its compliance with European and international standards.”

Human rights protection is a core part of the EU enlargement process, which is assessed annually in the European Commission’s enlargement report.

The EU urges Georgian authorities to fully reconsider this legislative package. This bill, along with the restrictions imposed by the “Foreign Influence Transparency” law on civil society, will further strain relations between the EU and Georgia.

The EU reminds that Georgia’s accession process has effectively been halted and calls on the authorities to return to the path of EU integration,” the statement reads.

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“We are starting the ‘Anti-Maidan’ movement,” said Zura Makhadze, the founder of “Alt-Info,” as he took the stage.

• The ruling party “Georgian Dream” aims to enshrine in law that a marriage can only be registered if it is between a man and a woman. Additionally, members of the queer community will not be able to adopt minors. It should be noted that in Georgia, queer individuals are already restricted from adoption under current law.
• The new amendments further worsen transgender rights by limiting access to medical services, gender transition procedures, and the ability to change gender markers on identity documents to reflect gender identity.
• The changes also curb freedom of expression. According to Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, schools will be prohibited from distributing information “that promotes identification with a gender other than one’s own, as well as the promotion of same-sex relationships or incest.”
• Such information will also be banned on television, likely meaning that certain scenes will need to be cut from films.
• If passed, the law will prohibit public gatherings and demonstrations “aimed at promoting identification with a gender other than one’s own, same-sex relationships, or incest.”

With this bill, “Georgian Dream” claims to “protect family values,” but in reality, it restricts LGBT rights and imposes censorship. The Venice Commission has prepared a critical report on this homophobic legislation.