ILGA-Europe: Georgia ranks 30th among 49 countries in terms of protecting LGBT people
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ILGA-Europe, the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association, says in its most recent report that Georgia takes 30th place (with 30,2 per cent) among 49 countries in terms of protecting the LGBT population.
Compared with 2019, the situation regarding the rights of LGBT people has not changed in 2020.
ILGA-Europe annually shares reviews on the human rights situation throughout the world. The reports are based on a number of criteria:
- Equality and non-discrimination
- Hate speech and hate-motivated crimes
- Legal gender recognition
The report describes a LGBT pride parade in Tbilisi last year, including public figure Levan Vasadze’s announcement of the creation of self-organised groups, equipped with wooden clubs, which would patrol Tbilisi to prevent Pride events.
The Interior Ministry stated that calling for the creation of such groups is illegal. However, no legal action was taken”, reads the report.
The report also reads that in February, activists announced that they would hold Tbilisi Pride in summer. Pride week was planned to take place between 18-23 June, but organisers encountered numerous obstacles.
Despite lengthy negotiations, the Interior Ministry published a statement on May 31 saying that they were not able to provide adequate protection to the participants and the organizers postponed the event. On June 14, the Orthodox Church published a statement calling LGBT people sinners. Pride supporters protested outside the Government’s Administrative building and urged the Prime Minister and the Minister of Internal Affairs to support the march. The demonstration was disturbed by extremists, who threw eggs at the activists. 28 protesters were detained”, reads the report of ILGA-Europe.
The report also includes events which took place on the day of the premiere of a movie ‘And Then We Danced’, which features a relationship between two male Georgian dancers.
On November 8, hundreds of far-right protesters blocked the entrance of the cinema. A rainbow flag was burned. The protesters previously announced they would disrupt the screenings.
Regarding the rights of the LGBT population, Georgia has a better position than its neighbor countries:
- Russia – 10,2 per cent;
- Turkey – 9,83 per cent;
- Armenia – 7,49;
- Azerbaijan – 2,33 per cent.
Zero point indicates that the rights of the LGBT population is the least protected, while 100 points means that a country is a leader in terms of protecting the rights of LGBT individuals.