I was 17 years old on May 17, 2013, I was living in Batumi and the footage I saw on TV was the final straw for me to put an end to this, to choose the right side and start fighting. Those terrible days were the last straw point for my friends, family, acquaintances, and teachers. Those terrible days, the girls and boys locked in yellow buses showed us all that the fight is not over and it is our duty to protect our rights.
On May 17, 2013, my fight began, and not just mine. To not watch from home, from a comfortable chair, how our rights, our love and our aspiration to live in a better world were trampled into the ground. It was from that day onwards that a great and long process of self-determination and public coming out began, and in this process nothing strengthened me more than the love of those strangers who stood yesterday in a silent protest in front of Parliament.
Although the horrible reality of the last few days happened again, I still believe that these horrific shots will have a positive effect on the people who couldn’t fully decide which side to stand on, the people who had a “but” in their minds and our number will definitely increase.
State-sponsored abusers assure us that their numbers are large and they are the majority. I still believe this is not the case and I am convinced that our numbers are just as large and in order for this number to grow, we must not give in to hopelessness and use all of our chances. We have to reach every last person, and if we see at least a little bit of common sense and kindness in someone, we have to explain that violence is not the answer. That it is not just a fight to protect queer people, that it is a fight to avoid a horrible reality we might wake up in someday. This is a struggle for our children to breathe freely, that is a struggle to not be deprived of the countless colors that brighten the world around us.
And most importantly, it is a fight against a state that is ready to divide and fragment our country, a state that finds all ways to shift the focus from the real issues to the insignificant and the insignificant. It is a fight for those who perceive us as enemies today and stand by us tomorrow, it is a fight for our parents, who, after so many years of terror, fear and violence, view a better life as a utopian dream. This is a fight for those 16 and 17-year-olds in different parts of Georgia, who are sitting in front of the TV and dreaming of happiness, love and a life without hiding. It’s a fight for those whose hearts are full of hope.
That is why there is no time for hopelessness, put aside your political beliefs, ideologies, past experiences, grievances, the main weapon today is love and support, this is how we will defeat the state that does not protect us. This is how we will enter the hearts of people who still have hope for a better life in this country.
There is no time for hopelessness.
