The Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, signed laws that limit the rights of representatives of the LGBT community, including the law “On Family Values and Protection of Minors.” Before that, the President of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili, refused to sign them. Papuashvili about his decision reported on your Facebook page.
In his post, the speaker called the adopted laws as those that protect “the most valuable thing” — family and children. He emphasized that it is symbolic that Zurabishvili refused to sign them. “This refusal shows where Salome Zurabishvili stands and where the opposition stands, who, not having the courage to openly state their position, shamefully left the hall during the vote. The law I am signing does not reflect temporary ideas or ideologies, it is based on common sense , historical experience and centuries-old Christian, Georgian and European values,” said Papuashvili.
He also mentioned the expected criticism from foreign partners and added: “We Georgians have never been afraid of other people’s assessments when our faith, common sense and devotion to the country demanded it. This is how we have preserved our identity. And we see that millions of people abroad support this law. It protects the rights of all citizens, including the right to freedom of expression, but on the condition that it does not violate the rights of other people. This is the essence of true democracy.”
Papuashvili also emphasized that tolerance has always been a feature of the Georgian people, but reminded that tolerance means “living together based on mutual respect, not ignoring the beliefs and values of others.” According to him, this law has significant support among the citizens of the country. “On May 17, 2024, about a million people took to the streets of Georgian cities, actually expressing their support for this law. During its adoption, we also discussed it with religious organizations, in particular with the Georgian Orthodox Church and other denominations, which expressed their full support,” he added. .
We will remind you that this package of laws was proposed by the ruling party “Georgian Dream” on June 4. Its first reading took place on June 27, and the second on September 4. During the discussion in the European Union, it was stated that this law may affect the European integration of Georgia, as it was adopted without proper public consultations and analysis of compliance with European standards. Despite this, on September 17, the draft law was finally adopted in the third reading.
The party’s proposals include a ban on the registration of marriages other than unions between a man and a woman, as well as a ban on the adoption of children by homosexual couples and gender reassignment operations. In addition, schools want to ban the dissemination of information that can be interpreted as promoting same-sex relationships or incest. Media, advertisers and movie theaters will have to edit content to meet the requirements of the new law.
