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2 Georgia: Reputation For Tolerance Slipping Amidst Attacks Against Religious Minorities 7/03 3 For some gay partners, Europe offers a safe haven 6/05 4 Building an inclusive Georgia 3/07 5 'Gay' rally in Georgia cancelled 7/07 6 LGBT discrimination in Europe's margins 10/07
1 However,
Georgia, as a post communist, orthodox and very traditional
society, is still not very open towards gays and lesbians.
In the large urban societies homosexuality is better accepted than
in
the rural
areas. Concept of guest in Georgian mentality, however, would provide
for an exceptional attitude towards visitors whether gay or not.
It is very convenient to hold hands in public and greet each other
by
kissing on cheek once – this is very common in Georgia. In
General, country is known as home to the oldest winery tradition
in the world. National Gay Info National
Publications National
Groups
Cafes Cruising
29 July 2003 2 by Robert Parsons Tbilisi, (RFE/RL) -- Eduard waved me over to his car with a big smile. He could spot a foreigner from a kilometer away. He greeted me in English before I had a chance to speak. Within seconds, he was telling me his life story. Eduard, it turned out, was Greek. Well, half-Greek, he explained. Half-Greek and half-Jewish. More remarkably, he could speak Georgian, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Russian, English, and Hebrew. Ironically, just about the only language he couldn't speak was Greek. Not long ago, Tbilisi was full of people like Eduard -- a melting pot of cosmopolitan polyglots. But a shadow seems to be creeping over this once joyous city. Salome Asatiani is a sociologist who recently returned to Georgia after a period of study abroad. "The state of society is very intolerant at the moment," he said. "I think it goes back to the birth of the so-called national liberation movement. The Soviet ideology was replaced very quickly by nationalist rhetoric with all its implications -- the intensification of religion, the representation of the national ideal or national traditions as the unquestioned pattern that should be followed. It's Georgianess which is promoted, and anything else -- ethnically, politically, or sexually or in any other way -- is marginalized and directly marginalized." The British theater company Volcano recently presented "L.O.V.E.," a staging of some of Shakespeare's sonnets, at Tbilisi's Marjanishvili Theater. It was the first night of a tour intended to celebrate 10 years of the British Council in Georgia. But the production featured scenes of sexuality, including homosexuality. The theater's director walked out, ordering actors from his own troupe to follow suit. Within hours, the Georgian Orthodox Church was also protesting. Volcano's remaining two shows in Georgia were abandoned amidst anonymous threats of vandalism. A clash of cultures, say some. But others, among them commentator Gogi Gvakharia, the presenter of a popular talk show on Georgian television, think the Orthodox Church has a lot to answer for. "The church here plays a big role in all this," Gvakharia said. "It's as if words like love, compassion, and compromise have fallen from the church's vocabulary. Now the accent is on words like the law of God, hell, and Satan. Religion and ignorance have become close associates. People are afraid that if they say they don't believe or if they don't visit their local priest something bad will happen to their children. The clergy are scaring them to think in this way. And because these people have no real faith or spiritual values, they believe it when they hear of plots against the church or that Jehovah's Witnesses want to destroy the church." On 10 July 2002, 10 men burst into the Tbilisi office of the Liberty Institute, a nongovernmental Georgian human rights organization that plays a leading role in opposing religious intolerance. The intruders beat up Liberty's director, Levan Ramishvili, and smashed computers and furniture. Ramishvili had earned the enmity of the followers of Basili Mkalavishvili, a defrocked Orthodox priest responsible for numerous attacks on religious minorities. "During the last three or four years, we had more than 700 pogroms organized by different groups," Ramishvili said. "The most colorful group are the so-called Basilists. In some other places, priests of the Orthodox Church are also involved in violence against various religious minorities. When you talk about violence against minorities, first what comes up is usually the Jehovah's Witnesses, but it is not just about them. It means everyone who doesn't belong to traditional religious denominations like the Baptists, the Evangelists, the Pentecostals, and sometimes even Catholics and sometimes even distant Orthodox groups." The church admits that the problem of religious intolerance exists in Georgia but rejects any suggestion that it is responsible. RFE/RL spoke yesterday with Father Davit Sharashenidze, the head of the press office at the patriarchate. "Of course, there are people who blame the church for this religious extremism, but such accusations are completely unjust and divorced from reality," Sharashenidze said. "The 2,000-year-old history of the church in Georgia is proof that it is not extremist. As for Basili Mkalavishvili, the church has expelled him from its ranks. We have stated that his methods are totally unacceptable and that all use of force against people who think differently is completely inadmissible." Mkalavishvili was sentenced last month to three months in prison for his part in five incidents, although he is still at large, hiding from the police. Meanwhile, the violence continues, prompting 42 public figures in Georgia to write an open letter to the patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church condemning "radical elements" within the church. The letter calls on Patriarch Illia II to resist "increased radicalism and xenophobia." It also urges him to voice concern over the violation of the rights of the country's religious minorities. Such abuses have prompted condemnation from international organizations, such as the Council of Europe and the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights, as well as the U.S. State Department. Davit of the Georgian Orthodox Church's press office is adamant, however. The church is not involved in violence of any sort, he says. "The church has nothing to do with this violence. You won't find any evidence of the church calling on people to use force against anyone. It says the only legitimate form of struggle is the word. But violence is in all of us, and when Jehovah's Witnesses come knocking on people's doors and take such a negative and aggressive approach to our national and church traditions, it naturally provokes an aggressive response from some people." The resentment of minority religious sects in Georgia appears to have become widespread. Gocha Tskitishvili is the director of Tbilisi's IPM public opinion research center. "About 12 percent of the people of Tbilisi thinks that what Father Basil does is absolutely right," Tskitishvili said. "A further 60 percent disapprove of his methods but think that his ideas are right. In other words, the Jehovah's Witnesses should be opposed, but it isn't necessary to beat them up." So where is this intolerance coming from? Commentator Gvakharia believes insecurity lies at the heart of the problem: "In periods of crisis like this, people always look for scapegoats. Tolerance genuinely has been a characteristic of the Georgian people, but the ability to be self-critical hasn't. It's easier to create monsters than to blame oneself -- and today foreigners are filling that role. Of course, our Soviet mentality plays a big part in this, but the other thing is the speed of the foreign invasion of Georgia. The suddenness of the appearance of new ideas, products, and so on is helping spread the view that everything that comes from the West is either rubbish or disgusting." Nor is it just religious minorities that are under fire. Gvakharia says homosexuals and Armenians are also finding themselves being discriminated against. Ramishvili at the Liberty Institute agrees: "It's absolutely impossible to speak about the rights of homosexuals because it's hidden. It's not reported. Nobody complains about violations, but you can detect this hate on every corner. I think it's hate toward people who are different. When these hate speakers want to stigmatize someone, they are portraying their opponents as homosexual, Armenian, Jehovah's Witnesses, Freemasons." Georgia is one of the most open societies to have emerged from the rubble of the Soviet Union. It is also one of the few to invite the United Nations to monitor the observance of human rights. But it gives the impression of a society standing on the brink. When Sandro Bregadze, a member of parliament from the Aghordzineba (Renaissance) Party, says on television that Hitler got it right when he drowned homosexuals, there is little or no protest. When Vakhtang Rcheulishvili, the leader of the Socialist Party, stigmatizes the leader of another party by calling him gay and Armenian, nobody bats an eye. Little wonder then that Armenians, Azerbaijanis, and other minorities in Georgia are finding it increasingly difficult to identify with the state.
June 2005 3 by Johanna Petersson They met three years ago while Marc Behrendt, an American citizen, worked for an international organization in the former Republic of Georgia. They both enjoyed life there, but in the traditional and religious Orthodox Georgian society, homosexuality is a considerable social stigma and remains very much closeted. As their relationship developed, the resistance from Khutishvili’ s Georgian family increased, and finally the couple saw no other solution but for Behrendt to seek work in Europe, in order to be able to live together. “We are not in the U.S. because I could not bring my family, Beso, there,” Behrendt said. “I was forced to leave the U.S. Here in Europe, we have protection. I received a work permit in the U.K. and Beso is credited as my partner and also received a work permit.” Behrendt now works for International Alert, an nongovernmental organization working on conflict resolution and democratization issues in the Caucasus and Central Asia, while Khutishvili is studying English. Behrendt enjoys his work, which he finds both challenging and complex, but in the long run he would like to live close to his family and friends in the U.S. — something that is impossible right now. Behrendt and Khutishvili are enjoying the benefits of the United Kingdom immigration laws that — unlike those in the States — recognize same-sex relationships as equal to heterosexual relationships when applying for visas. Gay and co-habiting couples in Britain also have the same property, pension and “next-of-kin” rights that married couples enjoy. When it comes to marriage, only the Netherlands and Belgium recognize marriage for gays and lesbians. Belgium even amended its marriage law to include noncitizen gay couples if they can prove they are not allowed to marry in their home country. In Spain, the socialist government has drafted a bill that not only allows for gay and lesbians to marry but also to adopt Spanish children. The law is expected to be approved by the end of June. In the U.S., many states have moved in a different direction. Fourteen states have made constitutional amendments outlawing same sex marriages. Massachusetts is the only state that gives marriage licenses to same-sex couples, while Vermont and Connecticut have civil-union laws that give statewide spousal rights to same-sex couples. New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, New Mexico and the District of Columbia do not have laws prohibiting same-sex unions. In New York, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has challenged a ruling by a State Supreme Court judge that found that gay couples must be allowed to marry. While expressing that he was pro-gay marriage, Bloomberg said he wanted to avoid the same confusion that took place in California, where gay marriages were later annulled. If the Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, votes against same-sex marriage, Bloomberg said he would ask to have the legislation changed. The New York case is currently in the Appellate Court, the state’s second-highest court, and arguments are expected in the fall. There are currently three cases ongoing working their way up to the highest court. Fourteen countries in Europe offer some sort of legal protection to same-sex couples; Denmark, Finland, Norway, Croatia, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Luxembourg, Scotland, France, Iceland, Portugal, Britain and Hungary, while new European Union member countries Poland and Slovenia are preparing laws on registering partnerships. The European Region of the International Gay and Lesbian Association, a gay rights organization, welcomes all moves towards equal rights. “We support any level of recognition which moves to improve rights for the L.G.B.T. community — in whatever shape they may take,” said Juris Lavrikos, the organization’s spokesperson. “What we care about is the substance of the law; it is not a matter of wording.” Even if Lavrikos thinks matters are moving in the right direction, he challenges the view of Europe as a gay safe haven, since, just as in the U.S., there is a great difference in the experience of same sex-couples depending whether they live in a small rural village or a capitol city, he said. “All countries have issues, on different levels,” Lavrikos said. “For example, in the Netherlands, a developed gay rights country, we are now receiving reports of increased levels of gay bashing.” The Polish parliament is currently working on a law registering partnerships, but a couple of weeks ago Warsaw’s mayor banned the gay pride parade there for the second year running, claiming its application had not been filed properly. Twenty-five hundred people defied both the ban and anti-gay protestors throwing eggs. The
Messenger, Tbilisi, Georgia 4 by Anna Kamushadze The Inclusive Foundation supports the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community in Georgia and is the first organization in Georgia which assists sexual minorities by offering free consultations with psychologists, doctors and lawyers. They were officially registered as an NGO in August 2006. The NGO’s donor organizations include COC Netherlands, the Dutch Lesbian Gay Bisexual (LGB) Organisation and the European region of the International Lesbian Gay Association (ILGA). The Foundation is also part of the Council of Europe’s NGO group and member of the working group “All different, all equal” campaign. The organisation promotes the establishment of a society in Georgia where sexual orientation and gender self-expression would not be not grounds for discrimination, as “a democratic, coherent and strong society is inconceivable without the full integration of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, as well as any other social group”. The goal of the Inclusive Foundation is to promote the integration of the LGBT community in Georgian society, through education and civil action. Inclusive’s chairperson doesn’t blame Georgians for having low levels of tolerance, he points out homosexuality in Georgia was illegal until 2000, when it was decriminalised by the government as part of their Council of Europe membership commitments. Since 2000, the attitude of the Georgian media towards homosexuality has been far from positive. In a study the organization conducted in February 2006 called Representation of Homosexuality/ homosexuals in Georgian Media, the issue of media coverage of homosexuality is addressed. The report states that before 2000, articles would only touch upon issues such as “minor sexual disorders”, “abortion”, “HIV/ AIDS” and “prostitution”. The term “homosexual” was first seen in Georgian print media in the context of discussing HIV/AIDS and prostitution, thereby just strengthening stereotypical notions of sexual minorities in Georgian society. The study says the situation changed rapidly starting in 2000, when homosexuality “became a politicised issue”. Newspaper headlines proclaimed, “Georgia is ruled by homosexuals” (Rezonansi, # 107) and “Despite the fact that ‘blue people’ [the slang term for gay men] do not procreate, they continue to increase in numbers” (Akhali 7 Dghe # 17); “Enemies of the people: KGB agents and ... Pederasts” (Georgian Times, # 9). In an issue of Akhali Taoba (#307), Elene Tevdovadze Chair of Parliamentary Committee for Human Rights and Civil Integration and one of the very persons in charge of defending citizens’ human rights is quoted as saying, “...our problems today, are unemployment, drug dependency, following the criminal tradition and changing orientation.” When asked what she means by “changing orientation” she says, “I mean sexual orientation, of course. In my opinion it is big misery when so many young people change their sexual orientation. If we do not take proper care of this, we might be facing a terrible catastrophe tomorrow.” Inclusive Foundation publishes a quarterly magazine Me (I) to try to counter the negative representation of homosexuality in society. The articles touch on issues ranging from political issues such as human rights protection of sexual minorities in other countries, to art-related articles reviewing movies dealing with issues related to homosexuality (such as Philadelphia) to social issues such as myths about homosexuality in society (i.e. if you participate in a homosexual act even once, your orientation will change). Commissioner of the Council of Europe for Human Rights Thomas Hammarberg, during his visit to Georgia at the end of February of this year, felt the need to comment on homophobia. “Homophobia is not a part of a modern society which is oriented towards democracy and human rights’ protection…and from this point of view, we think the government must be a leader in resolving problems. It must assist people in becoming more informed and educated in this area.” Inclusive Foundation members also organize various trainings and seminars to empower their volunteers. In addition, they hold seminars for researchers, students, journalists, human rights NGOs and other institutions working on LGBT issues in Georgia. Members of the organization say it’s not easing being gay in Georgia. Although homosexuality has been legal in Georgia since 2000, there is still discrimination. It’s difficult for a conservative, traditional country to accept a ‘nontraditional’ orientation. Goga, an only child, says he hid his feelings for a long time. One day, he left his house in a rush and accidentally left his computer on. His mother discovered everything and before he returned, she had packed all of his luggage and put it in the doorway. He began living on his own with not a tetri to his name. Now he works and has a good salary, but still he never tells anyone about his orientation. “I have a friend that I treat as my girlfriend. I pay attention to her, kiss her, pet her and by doing this lead people to think I am heterosexual,” confides Goga. In a study the Foundation conducted in conjunction with their partners in January 2006, 120 members of the Georgian LGBT community were anonymously surveyed. When asked if they were out to their family, 86.7 percent answered “no"” and when they were asked if they were out to their friends, only 33.61 percent said that they were. “ We are not witches, we are normal people who have the same feelings as others,” says 34-yearold Nika. Nika identifies with the male gender though he lives in the body of a female. He says he remembers as a five-year-old, choosing to wear trousers rather than the dress his mother would lay out for him. At the age of seventeen, Nika identified with boys and hung out on the street corner with his friends. One day, he brought home his girlfriend and said it was his wife. His family was very confused about their “daughter” bringing home a girl as his “wife” and after a week Nika’s lover left due to family pressure. They then forced their “daughter'” to get married to a man. One of his close male friends loved him and so something was arranged so that he did not realize what was going on until he woke up in bed with him the next morning. His friend assured him that it was necessary for both of them at that moment and so he went along with it. He lived with his spouse while maintaining his now 17-year-long relationship with his girlfriend on the side. After two years, he says he couldn’t live that way any longer so he divorced his husband and went to be with his girlfriend. He says the most difficult moment of his life was when he had to explain to his daughter of 15 that he did not have an ordinary sexual orientation. But he says his daughter was amazingly understanding, and now she often accompanies him when he goes to meetings at the Inclusive Foundation. “You live only once in this world and you mustn’t live for others. You kill yourself by doing that,” says Nika. Contact the Inclusive Foundation at www.inclusive-foundation.org
24 July 2007 5 by Matthew Collin, BBC News, Tbilisi Gays have come under attack in former Soviet republics, with the Orthodox Church one of their main critics. Since false rumours spread that the planned event was a demonstration for homosexual rights, the organisers say they have received large numbers of abusive telephone calls and emails, some making threats of physical violence. Anti-gay feelings The event was to have been held in the Georgian capital next week as part of a Europe-wide campaign against intolerance, called "all different, all equal". But it was cancelled on Tuesday amid fears for the safety of the young people taking part. The organisers, a human rights organisation called Century 21, say they are victims of what they describe as disinformation and lies broadcast by Georgian television channels. The head of the Georgian Orthodox church had also warned that any rally involving sexual minorities would cause widespread offence and possibly lead to physical confrontation. Georgia is a highly religious country which prides itself on its traditional Christian values. Although homosexuality is legal, it is widely regarded as immoral. Gay rights activists in Georgia say homosexuals are often the targets for abuse and physical violence.
25th October 2007 6 by PinkNews.co.uk writer In Georgia a high level of hostility towards same-sex relationships and diverse gender identities prevails in virtually every aspect of society. Many believe them to be a disease, some see them as a sin, others as a perversion. The human rights of LGBT people are opposed by some prominent human rights defenders and other high-level figures. Stigmatisation is so pervasive that most LGBT people are forced out of communities, deprived of any chance to openly express their sexual orientation or gender identity, and suffer from discrimination and hate crimes. In Azerbaijan lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are not invisible in the predominantly Muslim society. Tens of transgender sex workers go into the main street of the capital city Baku every night, prominent showbiz figures barely hide their sexual orientation, mass media gives more space every day to the subject of sexual orientation and gender identities. And yet one should not be misled by this relative visibility: there is a price of estrangement from family, bullying, social exclusion, discrimination, blackmailing and hate crimes attached to it. The reports seek to raise awareness of European and international organisations, put pressure for positive change on national governments and encourage donors to support LGBT groups organising in these countries. Patricia Prendiville, executive director of ILGA-Europe, said: "The reports illustrate the vulnerable position of LGBT communities and the systematic nature of human rights violations against them. This situation runs against Georgia and Azerbaijan’s obligations under the European Convention for Human Rights and against European Union laws and values these countries have to respect if they aspire to EU membership in the future." Frank van Dalen, president of COC Netherlands, added: "Upon completion of the fact-finding mission to South Caucasus, COC Netherlands with ILGA-Europe and other partners has started a five-year project aimed at strengthening LGBT movements in the newly-independent states and prevention of HIV/AIDS in this community. First results give very positive hopes: where there has been hardly any movement before now there are strong, registered NGOs advocating for human rights and social equality and providing a range of services for the community." To read the reports click here |
