LGBT rights in Georgia

This article is about LGBT rights in the country of Georgia. For LGBT rights in the U.S. state of Georgia, see LGBT rights in the United States.
LGBT rights in Georgia

Georgia
Same-sex sexual activity legal? Legal since 2000[1]
Gender identity/expression -
Recognition of
relationships
No recognition of same-sex relationships
Adoption -
Military service Unknown if gays and lesbians are allowed to serve openly
Discrimination protections Sexual orientation protection in labor code since 2006

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in Georgia may face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is legal in Georgia, but same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal protections available to opposite-sex married couples.[1]

Contents

Law regarding same-sex sexual activity

Homosexuality (adult male only) was criminalised by Joseph Stalin in 1933 and it is likely that many of those prosecuted under the article were sent to Siberian concentration camps. The article was also used by Soviet authorities against dissident movements. The Georgian film director Sergei Parajanov was imprisoned twice for sodomy when his works became alarmingly dissident to Soviet movie censors.

After Georgian independence, the sodomy article was not used to imprison anyone after 1993. Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Georgia since 2000, thanks to the commitment by Georgia to achieve Council of Europe membership with the new criminal code not containing any articles relating to homosexuality.[1] The age of consent is equal for both heterosexual and homosexual sex, at 16 years of age.

Social attitude

According to social attitude questionnaires, homosexuals remained one of the most disliked groups in society - with most respondents preferring an alcoholic rather than homosexual colleague at work. Conspiracy theories flooded the Georgian press warning the public against the prederast's mafia. The only LGBT group in Georgia published Me Magazine after 2006 in order to provide a better balance of LGBT issues in the media. However, the wider Georgian media generally censors the topic of homosexuality. In October 2007 one of the contestants on the reality TV show Bar-4 outed himself on public television. After the reported intervention of the Georgian president and Patriarch Ilia II of Georgia the contestant was evicted from the programme.[2]

Gender identity/expression

Recognition of same-sex relationships

Georgia does not legally recognize same-sex unions.

Adoption

Same-sex couples are not able to adopt children in Georgia.

Discrimination protections

Since 2006, as part of the new Labor Code, discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is illegal in employment.

See also

LGBT portal
Human rights portal
Georgia portal

References