Georgia’s parliament passed legislation that imposes restrictions on “gender-affirming” procedures, changing gender designations in official documents, same-sex marriages, adoptions by same-sex couples, and media representations publicly affirming LGBTQ+ relations.
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili did not veto the bill, but refused to sign it, sending it back to the Georgian Parliament. Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili announced he signed the bill into law, noting it represents historic, common-sense Georgian values, and noted the law protects the rights of all citizens, stating in a post on social media:
Today, in accordance with the Constitution of Georgia, I am signing the “Family Values and Protection of Minors” law, which was not signed by Salome Zurabishvili.
It is symbolic that the homeless and disenfranchised nominal leader of the opposition, who became the president-elect, refuses to sign a law that protects what is most precious to man — the family and children. This refusal clearly shows where Salome Zurabishvili stands and where her arrogant homeless opponents stand, who did not have the courage to openly express their opinion on this law and shamefully sneaked out of the hall during the vote on the law.
The law that I am signing does not reflect current, temporary, changing ideas and ideologies, but is based on common sense, historical experience and centuries-old Christian, Georgian and European values. I fully understand that the signing of this law will bring criticism from some of our foreign partners, but we Georgians have never been afraid of the opinions of others, when our faith, common sense and loyalty to the country compelled us to do so, and when we saw that the currents of civilization were cutting the wrong way. It’s taken us thousands of years. That’s how we keep our identity. At the same time, in the same foreign country, we see the souls of millions of people who are in harmony with this law. This law protects the rights of all citizens, including the freedom of expression, without infringing on the rights of other people, which is the essence and idea of true democracy.
Tolerance was, is and will be a distinguishing feature of the Georgian people. However, we also need to realize that tolerance means living together in mutual respect, not living at each other’s expense and disregarding each other’s beliefs and values in order to disturb the civil peace.
This is one of the most popular bills. On May 17, 2024, up to a million Georgian citizens took to the streets of Georgian cities, thus holding a de facto referendum on this law. In the process of its adoption, we also had discussions with representatives of religious denominations, where both the Georgian Orthodox Church and other religious denominations expressed full support for the spirit of this law.
So, for me, signing this bill is the most legitimate signing I’ve ever seen. It’s a signature that both the nation and the nation stand behind.
