I agree with many points -- but I would see it a bit more positively. Many spaces can be quite openly LGBTQ friendly now, and have the rainbow flag up, and this is just how it is. Are there still many issues? Yes, but people in the West do tend to forget that Barrack Obama was against gay marriage in 2008, a position that would get you in serious trouble not so many years later.
What that means for going on the streets, in a big event? There are different views on that. One understands that among many people in the community, Tbilisi Pride was not entirely endorsed as a plan. They felt other forms of advocacy would get them further. In other words, there might be good progress, it just won't be on Rustaveli. And that is a timeline that is similar to many other countries.
My sense is that the glass is half-full, and filling up. But it is absolutely vital that one does not pick the wrong battles, which allow a fairly small violent fringe to take center stage.
Another great article on this topic: https://globalvoices.org/2024/03/28/georgian-dreams-fight-against-lgbtq-people/
I agree with many points -- but I would see it a bit more positively. Many spaces can be quite openly LGBTQ friendly now, and have the rainbow flag up, and this is just how it is. Are there still many issues? Yes, but people in the West do tend to forget that Barrack Obama was against gay marriage in 2008, a position that would get you in serious trouble not so many years later.
What that means for going on the streets, in a big event? There are different views on that. One understands that among many people in the community, Tbilisi Pride was not entirely endorsed as a plan. They felt other forms of advocacy would get them further. In other words, there might be good progress, it just won't be on Rustaveli. And that is a timeline that is similar to many other countries.
My sense is that the glass is half-full, and filling up. But it is absolutely vital that one does not pick the wrong battles, which allow a fairly small violent fringe to take center stage.