Georgian Prime Minister Joins Thousands in Celebrating Family Purity Day

Tens of thousands of people, including Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, marched through Tbilisi on Friday to celebrate the Day of Family Purity, a holiday established by the Georgian Orthodox Church in 2013 to promote traditional family values. The march, coinciding with the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia, highlighted the country’s deep divisions over LGBTQ+ rights.

Participants in the procession carried icons and wore traditional costumes as they made their way to the Holy Trinity Cathedral. Prime Minister Kobakhidze and parliamentary Speaker Shalva Papuashvili praised the event for upholding Georgia’s identity, language, and faith. “Our ancestors defended it in battles throughout the years and centuries, and it is our obligation to defend it as well,” said march participant Rusudan Tabatadze.

The event comes amid heightened tensions over LGBTQ+ issues in Georgia. In March, the ruling Georgian Dream Party introduced a bill restricting LGBTQ+ rights, including prohibitions on sex changes, same-sex couple adoptions, and public gatherings deemed to promote same-sex relationships. Additionally, Georgian Dream has pushed through a controversial “foreign agent” bill requiring media outlets and NGOs receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as foreign agents.

Critics, including President Salome Zourabichvili, argue that the bill, reminiscent of Russian legislation, threatens Georgia’s EU aspirations and stifles dissent. Recent protests against the foreign agent bill have been met with violent crackdowns by authorities, polarizing the political atmosphere of the small Black-Sea nation.

Despite President Zourabichvili’s vow to veto the legislation, Georgian Dream’s parliamentary majority could override the veto. The confrontation highlighted the deepening divide in Georgian society over issues of governance, media freedom, and LGBTQ+ rights.