The Parliament of Georgia supported a second reading of a package of bills to ban LGBT propaganda. "For" 81 deputies voted for their introduction, while the opposition completely boycotted the vote, TASS reported, quoted by Focus.
Mamuka Mdinaradze, leader of the parliamentary majority, emphasized that the fight against LGBT propaganda is a national task of an existential nature, touching on issues of statehood and even the preservation of the Georgian language. According to him, if measures are not taken, after two or three generations "this propaganda can lead to serious changes in society and threaten the national identity".
The bills proposed by the ruling party "Georgian Dream" include a ban on registering marriages other than between a man and a woman, as well as a ban on the adoption of children by same-sex couples. Additionally, any information that could be interpreted as promoting same-sex relationships, incest, or gender reassignment in schools, media, and advertising materials will be prohibited.
The bills, which were passed earlier in the first reading, caused a wide public response and increased the tension in the relations between Georgia and its Western partners.