Georgian Bishop receives 2014 International Women of Courage Award

The Bishop of Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia, Rusudan Gotsiridze, has been awarded the 2014 Women of Courage award, issued by the United States of America.

The American award is presented annually by the US Department of State to women around the world who have shown leadership, courage, resourcefulness and willingness to sacrifice for others, especially for the promotion of women’s rights.

The Georgian Bishop was chosen alongside nine other activists from Ukraine, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Fiji, Guatemala, India, Mali, Saudi Arabia and Tajikistan.

In the short description of Gotsiridze on the State Department website, it read the Georgian Bishop worked in a male-dominated field and had been the driving force behind a number of initiatives to promote tolerance and equality in Georgia.

"Despite being a minority of a minority – a woman working in a predominately male religious field, and a religious minority operating in a society dominated by one faith – Bishop Rusudan Gotsiridze of the Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia bravely advocates for gender equality and for the equal protection of all of Georgia’s minorities."

"As a woman holding a position of church leadership, Bishop Gotsiridze occupies a unique and respected role, challenging the perception of the role of women in society. She contributes frequently to gender equality, efforts to prevent and respond to gender-based violence, and other women’s initiatives."

"With her church, Bishop Gotsiridze has spearheaded a number of initiatives to promote tolerance and equality in Georgia, including the establishment of interfaith dialogues that have successfully worked to protect the freedom of religious expression in Georgia, especially for the Muslim minority."

"Bishop Gotsiridze was one of the first members of the religious community to speak in support of the rights of Georgia’s LGBT community,” read the statement.