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Q&A with Irakli Vacahardze, Execute director of Identoba, the only LGBT NGO in Georgia
The first ever United Nations report on the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) people states that people “are killed or endure hate-motivated violence, torture, detention, criminalization and discrimination in jobs, healthcare and education because of their real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity around the world.”
According to -the report released in mid December, LGBT people in every region of the world are often targets of organized abuse from religious extremists, paramilitary groups, neo-Nazis, extreme nationalists and others, as well as family and community violence, with lesbians and transgender women at particular risk.
The rights of the LGBT community are seen as a problem in Georgia too. To gain better insight into the situation here in Georgia, Georgia Today interviewed Irakli Vacharadze, the Executive director of Identoba, the only local NGO in Georgia which provides equal rights and opportunities to LGBT individuals, assists with their integration into society and enhances awareness on how to live a healthy sexual lifestyle.
Q: In your opinion, what is the importance of the first ever United Nations report on the human rights of LGBT people?
A: It has great importance. The Secretary-General of the United Nations sent messages that rights of LGBT people are unique. It means oppression of LGBT people is unjustified. He also stated that in 76 countries it remains illegal to engage in same-sex conduct and in at least five countries – Iran, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Yemen – the death penalty prevails. A person should not be punished because of his identification.
Q: Can you describe the situation in Georgia? Is there any statistics for LGBT people here?
A: We don’t know exactly the number of this group, but we know the world statistics, which shows that from conservative point of view their portion is 3% and from liberal point of view this number reaches 10-14%. So the minimum number is 3% in every society and Georgia is not an exception.
According to trustworthy research, 2 in every 100 men are gay 100 and 1 in every 100 women is a lesbian. There are also approximately 1 intersexual – or hermaphrodite individual in every 1,000 people. Unfortunately, we don’t know the data on transgendered people, but their number is less.
LGBT people mostly prefer to live in large metropolitan cities, as the discrimination rate is higher in rural areas. So their number would be more than 3% in Tbilisi. The number, however, does not matter. If there is even one single person, his/her rights need to be protected.
Q: What are the challenges the LGBT people face most frequently in Georgia?
A: Currently, we are working on an annual report, which will be completed by February. At the moment there is not any scientific research [on the situation]. We can judge by single cases.
According to social research, LGBT people are the most hated group in Georgia. Violence in schools is frequent. LGBT teenagers are under depression. The media also expresses hate speech, political figures often abuse this group [in order] to advance their career.
There are no laws which protect LGBT people’s rights, except one point mentioned in Georgia’s labor code. But that’s not enough. We know that LGBT people are not allowed to be blood donors; partners can’t have meetings in prisons, because they are not recognized as partners etc.
Q: What measures should be taken in a wider sense to better defend LGBT people’s rights in Georgia?
A: First of all, it’s necessary to conduct research so that the public is informed by credible sources of the kinds of difficulties LGBT face because of their status.
The media should be responsible for its own homophobic policy and journalists should not be manipulated by these people. In addition, the state needs to have an anti-discrimination law, which protects not only those in the LGBT community, but also other social groups against hate speech. The law should include marriage rights and child adoption rights. Those are unique rights too and it’s not clear why those in the LGBT community are not allowed to use these rights.
We realize that [achieving these rights] is not possible in the immediate future. This requires an informed society – and this is the third necessary thing to work on. The public should understand that those in the LGBT community are not monsters or indecent. They are ordinary people.
Nino Gelashvili 