The European branch of the International Union for the Advocacy of LGBTQI (ILGA Europe) has published a study on the current situation of LGBTQ rights in 2021, according to which Georgia ranks 32nd in the European region in terms of LGBTQ rights and is ahead of 17 countries.
The coefficient for LGBTQ rights is 27% – the best situation in terms of equality and non-discrimination environment (56%), with the worst situation being LGBTQ shelters (0%), legal recognition of gender (5%) and family acceptance (13%)).
The ILGA Europe report details and cases of hate speech and hate crimes, including allegations of discrimination by government officials. The report says that during the week of the March of Dignity scheduled for July, the government failed to hold a peaceful assembly and, moreover, resorted to violence, citing Irakli Gharibashvili, as the Prime Minister did not consider it appropriate to hold a march.
The report discusses other crimes committed on the grounds of LGBTQ hatred, including transphobic violence in April, June and September, crimes against lesbian women and couples in April, and other cases in which law enforcement agencies are charged with criminal offenses.
The report also discusses the harmful effects of the pandemic on LGBTQ people, based on a WISG study: it found that almost half of LGBTQ people had difficulty accessing a balanced diet during the pandemic; Thirteen percent of respondents to the survey had housing problems during the pandemic, and a third of respondents had difficulty paying rent, although despite requests from civil society, the government has not yet developed a sensible plan to address the housing problem.
Another important issue discussed in the report is the legal recognition of gender, which addresses the first precedent for gender reassignment, although it says that official agencies do not have the legal and administrative charter to legally recognize gender, and change the gender marker only on evidence of surgical intervention.
