President Refuses to Sign Anti-LGBT Law
President Salome Zurabishvili refused to sign an anti-LGBT law passed by the Georgian parliament in September, leaving it up to the Speaker of Parliament to sign the controversial bill into law.
The president didn’t use the more elaborate veto procedure, which would have sent the bill back to Parliament for review with proposed amendments, delaying final passage for weeks. Zurabishvili has yet to comment publicly on her decision, but avoiding making homophobia a major issue in the days leading up to the crucial October elections could be one of the motives.
Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, one of the authors of the legislative package, now has five days to sign it into law. The law will come into force two months after the publication, meaning it won’t take effect until after the 26 October elections.
“The president appears to have found a middle ground in this politically delicate situation,” Mariam Kvaratskhelia, Georgian queer activist and co-founder of Tbilisi Pride group, wrote on X, explaining Zurabishvili’s decision.
According to the activist, if the president had instead used her veto power, the ruling party could have overridden it just before the elections and celebrated it “as a victory over the ‘LGBT propagandist president’.” This would have reinforced the Georgian Dream’s narrative of “defending families and the church and combating ‘LGBT propaganda’ just days before the elections,” the activist said.
The ‘Law on the Protection of Family Values and Minors’, adopted by the ruling Georgian Dream majority on September 17, includes a number of homophobic and transphobic measures, such as imposing censorship in media and educational institutions on queer-themed issues, banning gender reassignment surgery and legal procedures, and cracking down on freedom of expression and assembly. The legislative package also bans same-sex marriage, even though it has never been legal in Georgia, prohibits the adoption of children by non-heterosexual couples or non-cisgender individuals, and equates same-sex relationships with ‘incest’.
The law is part of a wider hate-filled election campaign and rhetoric led by Georgian Dream. A prominent Georgian transgender woman, Kesaria Abramidze, was brutally murdered the day after Parliament passed the law in its final reading. President Salome Zurabishvili condemned the murder as a ‘denial of humanity’ and was among those who attended Abramidze’s funeral.
The article was updated on October 2, 16:50, to add details about the law’s entry into force and reflect the activist’s comments.
Also Read:
- 17/09/2024 – Parliament Adopts Anti-LGBT Legislation in Third Hearing
- 04/06/2024 – Parliament Speaker Presents Homophobic Legislation
- 19/09/2024 – Murder of Famous Georgian Transwoman Sparks Outcry Amid Anti-LGBT Legislation Adoption
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