Georgia's ruling party proposes anti-LGBT law, similar to Russia's

Georgia’s “LGBT Propaganda” ban law

The new legislative initiative by Georgia‘s ruling party, “Georgian Dream,” includes banning adoption by same-sex couples and prohibiting gender change. The party plans to submit this bill to parliament soon. This bill aims to combat what they call “LGBT propaganda” and proposes changes to the constitution.

Mamuka Mdinaradze, the executive secretary of “Georgian Dream,” announced this at a special briefing on March 25.

He stated that the goal of the law is to “protect society from pseudo-liberal ideology and its inevitable harmful consequences.” A similar law with this wording was passed in Russia in 2022.

The public recalls that exactly one year ago, the ruling party had introduced another initiative modeled after Russia – the “Foreign Agents Law.” However, authorities had to abandon this project due to massive protests in Tbilisi and other cities across the country.

"Talking about LGBT propaganda in Georgia is as absurd as the idea of dragging us into war." Comment

“This is done solely to gain the votes of ultra-right and conservative voters”

What specific changes to the Constitution does the ruling party propose?

The parliament will consider two constitutional bills.

The first relates to Article 30 of the Constitution. In 2017, this article was already amended to define marriage and family as a union between a man and a woman. Now, they propose adding a new clause. This clause states that protection of family values and minors in Georgia is ensured by a special constitutional law.

The draft of this specific law will be the second document submitted to parliament.

The main provisions of this bill are as follows:

• The law will only regulate relationships similar to marriage, meaning those involving a union between one genetic male and one genetic female over the age of 18.
• Only married couples or a heterosexual individual can adopt or become guardians of a minor.
• Any medical intervention related to changing a person’s sex is banned.
• In any document issued by the state or local government, only the female or male gender corresponding to a person’s genetic data will be listed.
• Any decision by a state body or private individual that directly or indirectly limits the use of gender terms is void.
• Gatherings aimed at promoting homosexual family or intimate relationships, incest, adoption or guardianship by a same-sex couple or non-heterosexual person, medical interventions related to sex change, or campaigning against gender-oriented concepts are banned.
• The distribution of works, programs, or other materials aimed at promoting homosexual family or intimate relationships, incest, adoption or guardianship of a minor by a person of the same sex or non-heterosexual, medical interventions related to sex change, or the non-use of gender concepts is prohibited.
• It is forbidden to provide information in the educational process in state or private educational institutions that promotes homosexual family or intimate relationships, incest, adoption or guardianship of a minor of the same sex or non-heterosexual nature, medical interventions related to sex change, or the non-use of gender concepts.

• Why haven’t the organizers of the assault on journalists in Tbilisi on July 5, 2021, been punished?
• The history of Georgia’s LGBT+ community’s struggle for equal rights and non-discrimination

This is the ruling party’s executive secretary’s second briefing on this initiative. He held the previous one on February 29. At that time, Mdinaradze sarcastically mentioned the terms “parent number one and parent number two” in his speech.

Russian president Vladimir Putin frequently uses these terms in his speeches.

Mamuka Mdinaradze also reminded that in 2017, the Georgian parliament made the legalization of same-sex marriages impossible by directly writing into the constitution that marriage is a union between a man and a woman intended to create a family.

However, he said, “we must prevent a situation where we are asked to legislatively approve so-called ‘civil unions’.”

“In several countries, sex change operations and related medical procedures for children have been legalized. Large companies, media, and the film industry actively use this ideology,” Mamuka Mdinaradze stated during the briefing.

The current initiative of the ruling party is not the first attempt in Georgia to initiate the so-called “anti-LGBT propaganda law”. The pro-Russian, homophobic political party “Conservative Movement” prepared a package of such bills together with the broadcasting company “Alt-Info” in May 2023.

That draft also proposed amending the “Law on Assemblies and Demonstrations” to ban “propaganda of different sexual orientations.”