The ruling Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia party will never abandon the law banning LGBT propaganda (the LGBT movement is recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation and is prohibited), even if it complicates the country’s integration into the EU for several years. This was stated by the executive secretary of the party, Mamuka Mdinaradze.
“Even if the anti-LGBT law temporarily interferes with us in some way, we will not take these European values, in quotes, into account. It would be better for us to be two or three years late (with integration into the EU - TASS), but we will never, I emphasize, never We will not repeal the law against the ban on LGBT propaganda,” Mdinaradze said at a briefing.
As Mdinaradze emphasized, the authorities will not exchange the traditional and decent future of the next generations for achieving “their own mercantile political goals.” According to him, LGBT propaganda is not European values. “We don’t want and can’t imagine such a Europe,” he added. On September 17, the Parliament of Georgia, in the third and final reading, adopted a law regarding the ban on LGBT propaganda and gender reassignment in order to clarify issues related to marriage, adoption of minors and guardianship. EU leaders have repeatedly criticized the law, saying it violates the rights of a certain group of citizens.
According to the amendments, a ban is introduced on the registration of any marriages other than the union of a man and a woman, on the adoption of minors by homosexual couples and gender reassignment surgery, for violation of which criminal punishment is provided in the form of imprisonment for a period of one to four years.
Fines have also been introduced for LGBT propaganda in educational institutions; broadcasters are prohibited from broadcasting intimate same-sex scenes or advertising of similar content. Distributing materials about gender reassignment or homosexual relationships among minors is subject to a fine. Public meetings or demonstrations aimed at popularizing LGBT issues are prohibited.
